


Fall of the Guardians

by Maria Daniels (defending_dean)



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-20
Updated: 2014-09-24
Packaged: 2018-02-18 02:58:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 25,076
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2332751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/defending_dean/pseuds/Maria%20Daniels
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>We all know the story of the Guardians, but what of the Nightmares? What of Pitch Black and his family, the one he so longs for? This is the story of Nova Stargazer, the Nightmare Princess, honorary daughter of the Nightmare King and accomplice in his plans to destroy the Guardians and all they stand for. </p><p>Nova must go undercover, posing as a girl who needs the protection of the Guardians, to gain their trust and ultimately terminate them. But when the world starts to shift and everything she believes in - Pitch, the Nightmares, her dark family -  don't seem to be what they say they are, can she still find it in herself to fight the Guardians, or will she fight for the Guardians in the end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Iceberg

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pitch proposes his plan to Nova - revenge, betrayal, plumbing malfunctions??

Prologue 

_Light. Light, everywhere. So bright it was blinding. It seemed to sear away her flesh and bone until she was nothing more than a wisp. A flicker of smoke from a burnt out candle._  
Light, extinguished.  
She opened her eyes and blinked. There was no light now, but she could see fine.  
And then his face emerged from the darkness, surrounded by a hundred others, all with glowing yellow eyes and bodies of ash.  
“Welcome, little one,” he said. “Welcome to your new life.” He held out his hand for her, his smile glinting in the blackness.  
She took it. 

__

 

 

 

 

Chapter One  
Iceberg

Nova hated Christmas. But then, she hated most things, so perhaps the previous statement was extraneous.  
She perched on the roof of a house, observing her target. There they stood, the father and the daughter, fiddling with telescopes in their backyard and stargazing. Her lips quirked upwards. That was the name she had been given after being reborn. Nova Stargazer. Because she was always searching the sky for answers. Not that they ever came.  
It had rained earlier, and she caught a glimpse of her reflection in a puddle of water near the gutter. Most of her was hidden by a cloak, but she knew what she looked like underneath – a flowing dark form with hair like smoke and eyes like fire. She would never get used to being a Nightmare, but it was easier this way to lose herself in her work.  
Her eyes travelled along the streams of Christmas lights decorating the houses in the neighborhood, the snowmen dotting peoples’ yards, the wreaths hung on doors. What a ghastly holiday – all those tone-deaf carolers, the poor bloated victims of sugar cookie overdose. The fruitcake. Good lord, the fruitcake.  
Focus, she scolded herself. Her gaze zeroed in on the little girl. Occasionally she would target adults, but they had enough darkness in their life. The saddlebags of age. No, it was the children she wanted. With their missing teeth and their big eyes and their chipmunk laughter that made her left eye twitch.  
The father ruffled his daughter’s hair before retreating into the house for a moment. That was all Nova needed. With quick, practiced movements, she plucked an arrow from her quiver and nocked it, the bowstring tensely drawn back. The girl’s back was to her, and with an exhale of breath, Nova released the arrow.  
It flew silently before piercing the girl’s shoulder. She didn’t notice. Of course she didn’t. It was a night arrow – it was literally made from night.  
The arrow sunk into the girl before dissolving. Nova waited a beat, and then the expected reaction came. The little girl dropped her telescope and started shrieking.  
The father came running out to find his daughter scrambling onto the picnic table and wailing.  
“What? What is it, sweetheart?” he tried to calm her down.  
“SPIDERS!” she pointed at the ground in hysteria. “All over the ground! Squish them, Daddy! SQUISH THEM.” Only, there were no spiders because the arrows induced visions of the target’s greatest fear. Hallucinations. She would have nightmares for a week.  
Nova nodded grimly. Mission accomplished. She let the darkness fold around her, and she disappeared, carried away by the night. 

The lair was situated in an abandoned amusement park. Thick tendrils of ivy snaked along the precariously tilting Ferris wheel. The earth seemed to be trying to reclaim the collapsed rollercoaster, yellow grass hid the fallen figures of the merry-go-round, and the go carts were decaying. Most haunting of all was the fun house.  
Half sunken into the ground, the house seemed to be from another world altogether. The once colorful paint was now dull and peeling, there were jagged holes in the roof, and the essence of fear seemed to radiate from it in waves.  
Home, sweet home.  
Nova ducked under the crumbling entrance and entered into darkness. It didn’t affect her; she had night vision, one of the perks of being a Nightmare.  
“And in that moment, I swear I needed a tan,” she muttered, glancing at her reflection as she walked down the hall of mirrors. She sidestepped the molding ball pit until she came upon the trapdoor. Swinging the metal door open, she slipped down the chute.  
It would have been a terrifying fall down into the underground lair if not for the darkness slowing her descent like a parachute. Her feet touched the ground gently, and Nova began making her way across the chamber.  
Nightmares milled around, true Nightmares in their chaotic forms of beasts. This particular chamber served as a kind of stable where the beasts slept and lounged about. They bowed as she passed, and she nodded to them, peering around.  
“Looking for me, Princess?”  
Nova turned, smirking. “I thought I smelled death. Were you trying to cook again, Hale?” Her best friend, Hale, grinned down at her. His golden hair was the only light in the chamber, falling in his face and half-concealing the thick white scar that ran from his temple to jaw. His grey eyes crinkled the way they did whenever he looked at her. “And I told you not to call me that,” she frowned.  
“What, ‘Princess’? Why not?” He flicked the charm hanging from the silver circlet around her head. The symbol of her status. “That’s what you are, right?” It was true. The Nightmare King had all but adopted Nova as his daughter.  
She shook her head. “Well, yeah, but…”  
“Listen,” Hale said, slipping his arm through hers. Together they walked across the chamber. He glanced up at the cages swinging gently above them then returned his eyes to her face. “I heard something big’s about to happen. Like, not just Kyle growing a zit the size of New Mexico, big. More like the Titanic crashing into an iceberg, kind of big.”  
“Such great analogies,” Nova observed. “You should consider writing poetry.”  
He rolled his eyes. “Not the point.”  
“What could be more on point that Kyle’s zits?”  
“Nova,” Hale groaned. She laughed.  
“Okay, okay. What’s the big news?”  
“Well…I don’t know the details. But rumor has it that it has something to do with you,” he said. Just as the words left his lips, Pitch Black sauntered into the room.  
“Nova, my dear! I’ve been waiting all evening for your return,” he said grandly.  
“Pitch, my dear! I…” she started, then lost steam. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing.” She glanced at him. “You’ve been waiting for me?”  
“Oh, yes,” his eyes glinted. “We have much to discuss.” Nova and Hale looked at each other. Iceberg, he mouthed. She hid a smile.  
“I’m coming,” she said. 

Beyond the stables was another chamber that served as a throne room for the Nightmare King. Everything was black, the marble floor, the stone ceiling twenty feet in the air, the leather throne itself, even the pillars holding the place up.  
Nova had been here plenty of times. She threw herself down on Pitch’s throne and lounged lazily as he roamed around the room. She couldn’t tell if he was agitated or excited.  
Finally, he broke the silence. “So, how was the hunt?”  
“It was good. Shot a few kids,” she yawned. “Caused some general havoc and paranoia. All in a day’s work, you know?”  
“Excellent,” he nodded. Again Pitch lapsed into thoughtful silence.  
Then he spoke suddenly. “Let me tell you something. There are only two things that matter in this world: home and family.” He sighed. “With the exception of you and Hale, most of my Nightmares are demons that are more pets than companions. Beasts. They are wild. I barely control them. They come and go as they please, though they eventually return to the lair as it is their home.  
“Before you, I was a very lonely man, Nova. Beasts cannot hold your hand. Beasts cannot comfort you when you are feeling forgotten. To be alone for centuries was the most crippling darkness I have ever known. I slowly went mad without the relief of a friend.”  
His smile was humorless. “And then Jack Frost came along.” Pitch stared into the distance. “The worst part was that he was as desperately lonely as I was. He understood. And he still chose to be alone rather than join me. Why?” He threw up his hands. “Is darkness that bad? How could we see the stars without it?”  
Pitch closed his eyes and shook his head. “I would have respected him. Treated him like a brother or a son. He would have been family.”  
Nova already knew about the Guardians. All the Nightmares had heard about the battle between them and Pitch Black that had taken place decades ago. But she had never heard about this, about Pitch offering Jack Frost everything and him turning it down. How pretentious this Frost guy must be. Pitch might have done bad things in the past, but he had also given Nova what she had so needed – a place to call home and people to love her. And for that she would always be loyal to him.  
“He sounds like a jerk. Want me to beat him up for you?” she sympathized.  
Pitch laughed. The rare sound brought a smile to her face. “A jerk. I suppose that’s one way to describe him. And no, Nova, I have a better plan, one that may very well eliminate our problems forever.”  
She sat forward. “Our problems? You mean how no one really believes in us and how we basically live in the shadows, in exile?”  
“No, I mean our plumbing problems.” She stared at him. “Yes, I mean our exile!” he said exasperatedly.  
“Okay. Just checking.” Pitch shook his head but looked at her fondly. “So,” she urged him to continue. “Tell me about this plan.”  
He nodded. “The Guardians have forced us into the shadows, as you so eloquently phrased the situation. And as you know, I’ve tried to destroy them before, but it just never worked out. They simply overwhelmed me by using the children against me. We cannot eradicate the kids because they are the essence of who we are. We cannot eradicate the Guardians because they are too strong. So what do we try now?” he mused.  
“Bribery,” Nova suggested.  
“A good guess. But no.” Pitch gazed at her intently. “Think, child. What do we do when we cannot beat the enemy?”  
“Um…give up and go home? Angrily blog about them behind their backs? I don’t know.”  
Pitch sighed. “We join them.”  
“Oh, right… Wait. You want to become a Guardian?” Nova looked at him with concern. “Is this some new phase you’re going through? A midlife crisis, maybe, because—”  
“My dear girl, just listen for a moment.” She closed her mouth, and he exhaled.  
“Nova Stargazer,” Pitch began again after a moment. He crossed the room and placed a hand on her cheek. “You’re a lovely young girl. Charismatic, witty, and trustworthy. You’re my right-hand. And now I need you to do something for me.”  
“Fix the plumbing system?”  
He gazed at her for a long time, contemplating. “I’ve been going about this all wrong, you see. I tried to defeat the Guardians from the outside. That will never work, and I realize that now. The only way we can beat them is from the inside.” His eyes were startling. “I need you, Nova, to gain their trust. Learn their weaknesses, what haunts them. Take them down from their own home base where they won’t be expecting an attack. I want you to crush Jack Frost like he crushed me.”  
Nova was unperturbed. “I’m all for crushing people, but how do you propose I go about doing this?”  
Pitch Black smiled widely. “Here’s how.” 

Nova rarely used the room kept for her in the lair. It was small, sparsely decorated, with a bed, a little desk, and a dresser. It had potential to be cozy, she supposed.  
She stood before the mirror attached to her dresser, restless and antsy for the first time in ages. Do I really want to do this? Nova shook her head. Of course she had to do this. Pitch was counting on her. With a deep breath, she tuned out the rest of the world and concentrated.  
In the mirror she could see every detail of the transformation as it happened. It was as if she were shedding the night that had been her cloak. The curls of smoke that made up her hair solidified into a tangle of wavy black locks. The glow of her fiery eyes dimmed and melted away to reveal spring green irises. Her skin lost that sheen of darkness, and the shadows that always surrounded her seemed to retreat.  
She was human.  
She and Hale were not really Nightmares, but neither were they completely human. Kyle, who had been like them before he became completely Nightmare, used to call it being a “phantom”. An ability of phantoms was that they could shift between Nightmare and human state at will.  
And now Nova stood as a human, something she had not been for the past twenty years. Her human form was about sixteen or seventeen, and she stared at herself in the mirror as she exchanged her black hunting dress for jeans and a red sweater.  
How strange being human was. She felt heavier, like she’d magically gained ten pounds (courtesy of not being made of darkness) and awkward. Or maybe that was just her personality.  
The last time she had been human… Nova shook her head. It was not good to dwell on bad memories. She pulled on a jacket and tucked the little drawstring bag Pitch had given her into one of her inner pockets. After a final glance at her reflection, she left the room.  
Nova was making her way down the hall when Hale suddenly appeared next to her.  
He took in her changed appearance and whistled. “Decided to throw your lot in with the humans, I see.” Hale was one of the phantoms that actually liked being in his human form, hence the golden hair and grey eyes.  
“I thought I’d change up my look,” she replied. “The Nightmare thing wasn’t really scaring the children. And what’s more frightening than a teenage girl?”  
Hale thought about this for a second. “A teenage girl with internet connection.”  
Nova chuckled. “Very true.” She looked up at her friend’s face. “Just so you know, I’ll be gone for a while. I’ll miss you, Hale.”  
“Miss you too, Princess.” They hugged each other. “Iceberg?” he whispered in her ear.  
She buried her face in his shoulder. “More like the entire North Pole. Speaking of which…”


	2. Infiltrated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova infiltrates the North Pole. Will she manage to gain the trust of the Guardians?

Jack hid behind one of the tables piled high with battery-powered racecars, waiting. The workshop was buzzing with its usual noises of construction and music. A few rows down, Phil the yeti sat fiddling with the wind up Jack-in-the-boxes. He reached for the one farthest from him, and as his fingers touched the crank, the entire thing exploded in a blast of snow and ice, coating Phil’s face in the cold, white stuff.   
“Waka!”   
Jack snorted with laughter as the yeti furiously wiped slush from his face, and quickly tried to regain his composure when North walked by, shouting commands to the yetis. As he passed the boy, he shook his head.   
“Jack. I thought you were here to help.”  
“I am helping. Helping these guys loosen up,” he smirked. “They seem to have lost their sense of humor. Probably misplaced it under all those layers of fur. Hey,” he turned to Phil. “What if I got you a razor blade for Christmas? I could give you a fabulous goatee.” Phil backed away, apparently horrified by the idea of having Jack with a sharp object anywhere near him.   
North looked like he couldn’t decide whether to laugh or sigh, so he began walking away. After flashing Phil a grin, Jack caught up with the old man. They left behind the bustle of the workshop and entered into the Globe Room, where North began to pace.   
“So, Christmas is in four days,” Jack said. “You excited?”   
North looked preoccupied. “Excited? Yes. But I am also concerned. Man in Moon, he has not spoken to me in weeks.”   
Jack cleared his throat. “Uh, North, the Man in the Moon once went three hundred years without speaking to me. He’s not known for his superior communication skills. I wouldn’t worry about it.”   
“But I worry about it!” North exclaimed. “He has always updated me at least every few days. And now, silence. Why?” Jack twirled his staff idly, contemplating this. North shook his head in a resigned manner. “Anyway, why don’t you go help the elves before they electrocute themselves?” Jack nodded, but before he could turn, a loud banging noise sounded from behind them, and the two Guardians whirled around.  
The door to the Globe Room swung open and in came an alarmed-looking yeti with – what was that, a sack? – slung over his shoulder. The yeti stumbled forward and dropped the sack on the floor, and it made a groaning noise.   
That was no sack.   
Jack and North warily approached the figure on the floor. It was a girl. Jack noted her torn, raggedy clothing and examined her bluish extremities. Well, she didn’t have frostbite at least.   
“Who is this?” North demanded from the yeti. “Where did you find her? How did she sneak into the workshop?” The yeti let out a stream of wakas, and Jack watched as the old man’s eyes grew wider.   
“What?” Jack asked. “What’s he saying?” North looked at the girl’s still form incredulously.   
“Harold here says he saw the girl from his watchtower wandering around the Pole. By the time he got to her, she had collapsed.”   
The girl sat up suddenly, her eyes flying open.   
“What…?” Her head swiveled from side to side. She took in the scene slowly. “Santa Claus, Jack Frost… and an overgrown lint ball?” she said, glancing at the yeti with apprehension. “This is his plan?” Her voice was tinged with anxiety.   
“’His plan’?” North repeated. “Whose plan?”   
The girl stared at North as if it were obvious. “The Man in the Moon’s plan.” The two Guardians looked at each other. She took a shaky breath and continued. “He told me I would be safe here, that the Guardians would protect me until they lost interest in me.”  
Jack didn’t like the sound of that. “They?” Her eyes met his, and he noticed that hers were green.   
“The Nightmares.” She sounded like she was about to cry. “They’ve been after me since last Saturday. I think… I think I had somehow found that creepy guy’s lair – what was his name, Pitch Burp? No, Pitch Black. But it was really dark out and I was lost, so I don’t even know where I was when I found it, and all I remember was that he got really angry and those things were chasing me and –”   
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, slow down,” Jack said, coming over to put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. She was shaking. “You’re okay now. It’s alright. Why don’t you start from the beginning? Tell us your name, maybe, and what exactly the moon told you.”   
“Nova,” she said. “I’m Nova. I was alone in my house, and the Nightmares managed to break into my room. I recognized them, so I ran, and I’ve been on the run since. Then the moon told me to find you guys and ask for help in staying hidden. He said that once they lost track of me for a week or two, they’d get bored of chasing me and leave me alone.” Nova looked at them pleadingly. “You’ll help me, won’t you?”   
North’s eyes were piercing as he stared at her. “Give us a moment to discuss, please.” He pulled Jack aside, out of her earshot.   
“We have to help her,” Jack said. Something about those eyes, the way she looked at him... it reminded him of his sister.   
“It could be a trick, Jack,” the old man replied. “This has never happened in all my years as a Guardian. And if Man in Moon brought her here, why didn’t he tell us? He has said nothing so far, and suddenly a girl shows up out of nowhere, claiming he sent her?”   
“Maybe this is his way of telling us. We can’t just throw her out and let her face the Nightmares all by herself. This could even be a sign that Pitch is making a comeback.”   
North sighed. “Alright. Let me call the others.” He walked over to the control desk and pulled a large lever, setting off the Northern Lights.   
They didn’t have to wait long. Within a few minutes, the Sandman, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny had arrived, all at various stages of annoyance.   
“North, unless Pitch Black was literally doing the Macarena on your head, you better not have called me here,” Bunny grumbled.   
“Good to see you too, Bunny,” the old man grinned. “Fellow Guardians,” he addressed the rest of them, “there is someone here I would like you to meet.”   
Jack helped Nova to her feet and brought her over to them. They stared at her.   
Bunny was the first to speak. “This is why you called us here? For some…girl?”  
“Wow, no need to get so excited,” she muttered. Jack snickered, and Bunny glared at her.   
“This is Nova,” North said. He told them about how she had been chased by Nightmares and how the moon brought her here for protection.   
When he was done, Toothiana flew over to Nova and patted her shoulder sympathetically. “We’ll take care of you, honey. Two weeks is all you need, right? That’s doable.” Nova smiled at the fairy gratefully.   
Sandy and Bunny didn’t look so sure. “But how do we know she’s telling us the truth?” Bunny pointed out. Sandy nodded, but glanced at the girl with concern. “Maybe she’s a spy or-”   
“Can I say something?” Nova interrupted. All five Guardians turned to stare at her. She swallowed, then seemed to steel her nerves. “Look. I know I’m not a child anymore, so it’s not your obligation to protect me. But that’s the thing. Even though I’m not a kid, I still believe in things like wonder and hope and dreams and good times. I like to have fun,” she glanced at Jack with a hesitant smile. “There’s a part of me that will always be a child, and someone once told me long ago that as long as I believe, you would be there for me.” She stared at the floor. “I’ve tried to be my own guardian for so long, but now I really need you guys. So, please. Just until the Nightmares go away. Then I promise I’ll leave you all alone.” The Globe Room was silent for a long moment.   
”Well, I see no problem,” said Jack finally.   
North rubbed his belly. “I do have spare rooms, if the girl would like to stay. But Christmas is in four days. I cannot watch her twenty-four seven.”   
“”We can take turns, then,” Tooth suggested. “When you’re too busy, Nova can stay at my palace or Sandy could take her along with him while he’s on duty.”   
“And Nova can hang out with me once the Christmas music and holiday cheer drive her towards insanity,” Jack added, earning him a look from North.   
“I guess my warren’s open, too,” Bunny muttered.   
North clapped his hands. “It’s settled, then. We will all take turns watching Nova until the Nightmares lose interest in her. And if she proves to be untrustworthy,” he looked at her pointedly, “we have our own ways of dealing with enemies.”   
Nova exhaled. “Thank you all so mu–” Bunny tapped the floor with his foot and vanished down a rabbit hole before she could finish. North left the room, and even Sandy flew away on a boat made of golden sand after giving her a quick salute.   
Tooth hovered by her for a second, long enough to say, “I’ll see you soon, then,” and she too was gone. Then it was only Jack and Nova.   
He smiled at her reassuringly. “Don’t worry. They’ll warm up to you.”   
“Says the Spirit of Winter,” she mumbled. Jack laughed.   
“C’mon. Let’s find you a room to stay in.” 

* * *  
Nova collapsed on the bed after closing the door. “Exhaustion” didn’t even cover it. After jetting across the world in her cover of darkness, she had touched down in the Arctic Pole and shifted into her human form. Unfortunately, she had forgotten how vulnerable human bodies were to the cold, even half-humans like her, and as she trekked across the frozen planes of tundra in her snow pants and fluffy coat, Nova knew it wasn’t enough. But she couldn’t risk being caught in her Nightmare state, which would have been a faster method of transportation. Silly humans, and their silly inability to fly. Eventually the cold had sapped all her energy, and she gave up and curled into a ball on the hard ground, figuring if the yetis didn’t get her, the howling winds of ice would.   
Now she lay clutching an empty mug that had been previously filled with hot chocolate – so the elves didn’t make the presents, they made the cookies and drinks? – and she closed her eyes. This is why you called us here? For some…girl? The irritation in the Easter Bunny’s expression kind of hurt. Then again, she was a spy intent on terminating his very existence and thereby condemning all the children of the world to a life of terror and darkness. So… maybe she deserved it. Maybe she really was a backstabbing traitor. But at least she had great hair.  
The room was gently illuminated by Christmas lights, and the sliding doors let out to a balcony. The bed was comfy, and the place smelled like pine. Cozy.   
She slipped out of bed, glanced at the door to make sure it was locked, and reached into her pocket, pulling out the little velvet drawstring bag. Nova tugged at the strings until the bag opened and poured some of the fine, black sand into her hand. Nightsand. Then she blew the sand from her palm into the air.   
It shimmered as it rained down, and the specks of glittering black took form, arranging into the shape of the Nightmare King. It was the next best thing to having him here with her.   
The sand version of Pitch Black smiled at her. “Nova, my girl,” he said.   
“Pitch,” Nova grinned tiredly. “I’m in.”


	3. Stars

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova must act like a normal human...which is both harder and easier than she expects.

_Hiding. Always hiding. Under the table, behind the door. Listening to the angry yells, the accusations.  
“I hate you!”   
“Well, no surprise there!”   
Flashes, then. Green eyes, much like her own. Brown hair, a familiar smile. A voice, singing her to sleep as it always did.   
“Remember, we’ll always love you,” her mother said, kissing her forehead.   
”Do you love each other?” little Nova asked. Her mother glanced at her father.   
“Nova…” ___

__

__Nova jerked awake, her fingers clawing at the sheets tangled around her. Her head felt groggy and her eyes bleary. Dreaming. She had been dreaming. Nova shook her head. She hadn’t dreamed since she’d last been human, which was a little more than twenty years ago. Idly, she wondered if she had morning breath. Nova breathed into her hand and gagged. Yup. Being human was so revolting. With a yawn, she stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom to freshen up.  
It was her intent to simply wander around the workshop, get to know the ins and outs to better formulate a plan of attack, but apparently the elves were having none of that.   
As she was walking down one of the halls, a horde of elves carrying platters of cookies was also making its way down. Nova, still unaccustomed to her gangly, uncoordinated human body, tried her best to maneuver around them but tripped over a pointy hat and went sprawling onto the ground in a jumble of limbs and suppressed cursing.   
For a moment the world was a swirling kaleidoscope of colors. Then it slowly returned to normal, and Nova’s vision focused on an angry set of eyes glaring down at her.   
“Agh!” she yelped as the irritated elf leaned in closer to her, its nose only inches from hers. She pushed it back as she got to her feet. “Personal space, buddy.” The elf rolled its eyes and gestured to the floor where half a dozen cookies lay scattered and broken. Nova smiled sheepishly. “Sorry.” The elf shook its head, pointed to her and then to a door a little off in the distance. She squinted at it. “What is that… a kitchen?” Realization dawned on her. “Oh, no, I don’t—I’m not good at—”   
The elf grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her along behind it. _ _

__Nova stared at the wooden spoon in her hands, then at the elf tapping its foot impatiently.  
“No way,” she said, but it nodded forcefully. “Bro, I don’t even know how to make toast. Cookies are a little out of my league.” The elf made an exasperated noise, and with a sigh, she began to mix batter in the bowl.   
All around her elves were hard at work, some baking like her, others making seasonal beverages. Holiday music drifted all over the workshop from some unidentifiable source, and Nova found herself humming along before breaking off with a shudder. This place was getting to her. Soon she’d be kissing reindeer on the head and delivering presents to kids with a jolly smile. Or worse. She’d join the carolers. Nova swallowed back her disgust as she mixed in cinnamon and chocolate chips.   
After the cookies spent half an hour in the oven, the elf handed her a pair of mitts and directed her to take them out to cool. Nova shot the elf a withering look before sliding the mitts on and carefully removing the cookies.   
She was just about to set them down on the counter when a voice said in her ear, “Hey.” She jumped and nearly dropped the tray. After a second to recover, she set it down and whirled around to face Jack Frost, leaning on his staff.   
“How about we play ‘Let’s Not Surprise Nova While She’s Holding a Hot Tray’? It’s a fun game. Rated E, for everyone,” she snapped. Jack grinned. He didn’t look the least bit cold in his grey jeans and black shirt rolled up to his elbows . Meanwhile Nova could barely keep from shivering in her wool sweater and thick pants.   
“I’ll play only if you give me a cookie,” he said, plucking one from the tray and biting into it. “So, why are you on kitchen duty, anyway?”   
Nova coughed. “I, uh, tripped over an elf and made him drop his cookies. So he had me make more.”   
Jack chewed thoughtfully. “I see. Hmm… they could use more cinnamon.”   
Nova resisted the urge to stick out her tongue. “Whatever you say, Snowflake.” Jack leaned against the counter next to her. He smelled like fresh snow and an oncoming storm   
“Snowflake, huh?” His blue eyes held the hint of a challenge.   
“Would you rather be called Frosty Cheeks? Ice Princess, perhaps?”   
“Whatever works, Twinkle Toes.” Nova stared at him, then allowed herself a slow smile.   
Jack finished eating and said, “So, Christmas is in three days, and North is busy working on finishing the toys in time. I don’t think he has a problem with you being here. But, um, Bunny’s here, too.”   
Nova looked at the kitchen door apprehensively. “Bunny’s here?”   
“Yeah. He must really not trust you, to come back twice in one week.”   
“Ah,” she said dryly. “Well, thanks for trying to cheer me up.”   
“Anytime. Hey,” he glanced at her with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. “We should let North and Bunny try your cookies.”   
“Mmm, that might not be a good idea. I made these cookies. I’m sure they can find a less painful death than food poisoning.”   
“They weren’t that bad,” Jack insisted. “A little tangy, maybe. But good.” He shook his head. “What I was going to suggest was that we spice them up a bit.” He gestured towards the counter where there sat a shaker full of cayenne pepper flakes.   
Nova couldn’t tell if he was kidding or not. “Why is that even here? And you think that’s a better idea?” she asked as he sprinkled the spicy seasoning over the cookies.   
“They need to be pranked every now and then.” His smile looked wicked to her.   
“Jack…” Nova said resignedly as he slid the tray onto his arm. He balanced it, gesturing for her to follow as he made his way out of the kitchen. “Fine,” she muttered. “But if Bunny goes on warpath, I’m using you as a shield.” _ _

__North and Bunny were in North’s office, the old man tinkering with his ice prototypes when Nova and Jack walked in.  
“Nova,” North boomed. “Come. Look at this and tell me what you think,” he gestured to the figure in his hands. She approached him and inspected the toy, a little doll figurine. Her eyes widened at the minute detail of the folds in the dress, the texture of the hair, the great care he had taken to make the doll so perfect and delicate.   
“It’s lovely,” she said, without a trace of sarcasm. “Really. Some little girl is going to be very happy when she gets that for Christmas.”  
North’s eyes crinkled. “Thank you.”  
“And while you were working on that doll,” Jack came up beside her, “Nova made some cookies. Why don’t you both try one?”   
“They’re not that good,” Nova added quickly, but curiosity drew North and Bunny. North didn’t react as he bit into one except to give her an approving nod.   
Bunny, on the other hand, didn’t take it so well.   
“What the—?” he spat it out and began swatting at his tongue. “Crikey! What was in that – agh, that’s hot!” He hopped up and down before grabbing the glass of milk by North’s desk and splashing it on his face.   
Jack was doubled over, chest heaving with laughter. Even Nova couldn’t suppress her giggles at the sight of the powerful Guardian drenched in milk and howling.   
As Bunny began to recover, he shot Nova a murderous glare, but she pointed at Jack, who bowed low before dragging her out the room.   
“You,” she managed between laughs, “you got me in so much trouble!”   
“Nah,” he smiled. “Bunny knows it was me. You’re in the clear.”   
They leaned against the railing of the hallway and watched below as the elves and yetis scuttled about, working on toys, offering refreshments, bumping into each other. It was a sort of pleasant chaos.   
“So,” Jack said eventually. “Let’s do something.” He turned to look at her, and Nova noticed absently that he was a head taller than her, almost Hale’s height. At the thought of Hale, her heart clenched. She missed him. She missed Pitch. She missed her home. She turned away.   
“What do you want to do?” she said. So far, Jack Frost had been nice to her, interesting company at the least. But still. He understood. And he still chose to be alone rather than join me. Those words rang through her head, clear as a bell. Jack Frost may have been nice. But he was still the enemy. He was not a friend of hers.   
“I was thinking I could show you how to fly,” he said casually. Nova glanced at him in surprise.   
“That sounds… hazardous,” she finally replied. “Sure, let’s do it.” _ _

__They stood along top one of the pointed domes of the workshop, and Nova clung to the golden spire, her feet inches deep in snow. Jack stood beside her, looking amused.  
Now Nova knew how to fly; she did so frequently in her Nightmare form using the familiar darkness. But this was different. She was human, and she wasn’t using her darkness. She could actually fall.   
“Um,” said Nova nervously. “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea. And what about Pitch? He and his minions could be anywhere. We should probably go back inside forever—”   
“Don’t worry,” Jack leaned on his staff. “I’ll keep you safe. There’s no reason to be afraid of Pitch Burp while I’m around.” Self-satisfied lump, Nova wanted to snap at him but restrained herself.   
Instead she smirked, “I don’t know, man. I heard Pitch Burp can get pretty gassy.” She glanced at the thousand foot drop and felt her heart crawl into her throat.   
“C’mon,” he chuckled. “It’ll be fun.”   
“I bet you say that to all the girls you’re about to watch fall to their deaths.”   
“Nova,” Jack came over and placed his hand on her shoulder. “You trusted me by coming here for protection. You just have to trust me a little more now.” His eyes were wide and imploring. Gain their trust, Pitch had said. Crush them.   
She drew in a long breath. “Okay.” She glared at him. “But if I die, I’m taking you with me.” Jack grinned.   
“Sounds like a plan. Now place your hand around my staff.” Hesitantly, her fingers gripped the long piece of wood. Energy and power seemed to course through it, and it tingled her skin. “Right.” He slipped his arm around her side, and she tried not to react to his icy touch. “You have to hold on to the staff tightly, alright?”   
“Sure. I’ll pretend it’s the baseball bat I’m about to swing at you.”   
“That works,” he rolled his eyes. “Ready?” She nodded. He grinned and shouted, “Winds!”   
There was a sound like a hundred vacuum cleaners turning on, and the winds came rushing at them with the force of a tidal wave. Nova just had time to gape in horror before she and Jack were catapulted into the air.   
The world reeled by in a blur of colors and scattered light. Nova was vaguely away of the delighted sound of Jack’s laughter and the cold staff clutched tightly in her hand. It took all her willpower to hold on, and she was suddenly glad for the extra support of Jack’s arm around her waist.   
“What do you think?” he asked her.   
“I feel like I’m going to barf,” she called back. “Is that good?”  
He laughed. “Totally.”   
Jack slowed down a bit, and the roaring of the wind died down slightly. They flew leisurely across the Arctic landscape, and though her body was frigid and trembling, it was actually a rather enjoyable experience. She watched a flock of penguins waddling across the tundra, admired the graceful rise and fall of the snowy peaks. She almost didn’t notice Jack watching her.   
“Fun, huh?” he smiled.   
“Yeah,” Nova admitted. But then, she’d always liked flying.   
“What do you like to do?” he asked her, pulling them higher to avoid hitting a mountain. “We can go wherever, whenever.”   
“Um…” I like terrorizing children, she thought. I like making bad puns and impersonating doctors. “I like to stargaze.” As soon as she said, she flinched with embarrassment.   
But Jack only glanced at her thoughtfully. “Stargazing. That’s cool. You must be one of those hippie, poetry readers.”   
She laughed. “I hate poetry.”   
He looked relieved. “Me, too. But, stargazing — I can work with that.” His grip around her waist tightened. “Hold on.” And they took off with a burst of speed. _ _

__“Keep your eyes closed,” Jack said as they flew. Nova felt even more vulnerable flying sightless, but she did what he said. “Almost there,” he assured her.  
“We better be,” she grumbled, and he chuckled.   
The pressure of the winds seemed to change, and she felt herself lower until her feet touched down on flat surface.   
“Okay,” Jack said in her ear. “You can open your eyes.” Nova did so, and her mouth fell open.   
They stood at the edge of a forest, the trees with yellow leaves interspersed with pine. Snowcapped mountains rose in the distance near a glacier, and braided rivers flowed below them. But Nova’s gaze was drawn towards the heavens where the sky was a rich, inky black. The aurora borealis swirled and undulated in waves like the body of an ocean, streaks of pink and green and purple extending across the sky. Best of all, however, were the stars. So many, more than she had ever seen, scattered across the sky, giving her a glimpse into the cosmos.   
Jack had plopped down onto his back with hands behind his head, and he tugged on the edge of Nova’s pants as if to make her join him. She, too, lay down and just gazed contentedly. It was so breathtaking that she couldn’t even form words.   
“Ever been to Alaska?” Jack asked after a while.   
“No,” Nova said. “If I had known, I would have come years earlier.” She tore her eyes from the sky for a moment and looked at him. The light of the stars turned his white hair silvery and his blue eyes to ice.   
“There was a time,” his voice was quiet, “when I was very alone. This was before I became a Guardian. The moon hadn’t spoken to me since I had become Jack Frost, and no one ever saw me. So sometimes I would come here. It’s easier to pretend that you’re alone by choice when no one’s around.” Nova studied him. He looked to be only seventeen or eighteen, but the weight of his words was ancient.  
“But you’re not alone now,” she pointed out. “You have your Guardians. And the children.”   
Jack smiled. “I know.” He faced her. “And what about you, Nova?”   
She opened her mouth, then closed it. What about her? “I…”   
At that moment, something interrupted the black stillness of the night. Something golden and glittering.   
“Sandy,” Jack grinned and grabbed her hand. “C’mon. I want to show you something.”   
* * *  
Jack and Nova flew into one of the towns, following the stream of dreamsand. Buildings and houses cropped up between trees as they reentered civilization.   
It wasn’t hard to spot the Sandman on his cloud of light-like sand. Upon seeing Jack and Nova, he smiled and saluted them. The dreamsand wound around them in shimmery waves. Jack and Nova drifted gently, the wind supporting them, admiring Sandy’s work. They watched as tendrils of gold reached past windows and embraced the children. Jack could almost hear their contented sighs. To his right, Nova looked a little wistful, and he wondered why. She was human. Surely she wasn’t wistful for the dreams.   
Occasionally strands of dreamsand would wind into little figures, whatever the children were dreaming about, like schools of fish or a football being tossed around. A dragon rose from the stream of sand and circled Nova playfully.   
“It’s beautiful,” she sighed as she ran a hand along its scaly back. She turned to Jack. “Do you think—”   
As if sensing that Nova’s attention was elsewhere, the dragon leaped and tackled her affectionately. She broke off, surprise etched onto her face, before being overcome with sleep. Her hand slipped from the staff, and Nova fell. She probably would have plummeted to her death if Jack hadn’t caught her.   
Asleep in his arms, Nova looked peaceful, less defensive and wary. Her dark hair was in a tangle around her face, and her eyelashes casted shadows across her cheekbones. Up close, he could even see a light dusting of freckles across her nose. Jack was surprised to realize that he found her quite pretty.   
Sandy appeared by his side with a grin, and an image of the workshop flicked above his head.   
“Yeah,” Jack looked down at Nova’s sleeping form. “Let’s go home.”_ _


	4. Missing Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova wonders if her baby teeth will bring any good memories, so she goes behind Tooth's back to find out.

Nova awoke to a disorienting darkness, and it took her eyes a long moment to adjust. She was back in her room at the workshop. She must have fallen asleep, courtesy of her sleep-prone body. And she had been enjoying herself. Her thoughts drifted back to the day’s events, of her flying and watching the stars with Jack. She had to admit it was a very sweet gesture, and Nova smiled despite herself.   
Outside faint light touched the horizon. Morning was nearly here. I should probably contact Pitch, she thought, realizing sleep was no longer within her grasp. She drew the velvet bag from beneath her pillow and tossed some nightsand into the air, expecting to see Pitch Black’s face. Instead she got Hale’s.   
“Hale!” She threw herself off the bed to stand before his sand-outlined visage.   
“Nova,” he grinned. “Long time, no see, Princess.”   
She laughed. “I’ve missed you so much.” She wanted to touch his face, but the sand would only crumble if she did that. “Where’s Pitch? Is everything okay back at home?”   
“Everything’s peachy over here. I just wanted to talk to you about something.”   
“No, I’m not interested in discussing the pros and cons of thermal underwear.” They’d had that conversation one, too many times.   
“Dang,” he sighed. “And I was so looking forward to showing you the new additions to my collection.”   
“Hale.”   
“Alright,” he laughed, and the familiar sound warmed her. His expression turned serious. “I’ve decided to become a full Nightmare.”   
Silence. The words sunk in slowly. It was a while before Nova finally spoke. “What?” Her voice was barely audible.   
“Lately the memories have gotten worse,” he explained. “I remember things from before all the time now. And I hate it.” Of course. Even though Hale was generally very upbeat and always joking around, he had still had a messed up childhood. Just like the rest of the Nightmares. Just like her. Being a phantom helped, but phantoms were still half-human. They could remember their past if they wanted to. And the scar on Hale’s face was enough evidence that his past was not a good place. But if he became a full Nightmare, a beast of the night, his world would be simple chaos and darkness. No memories, no humanness to bother him anymore. He could leave it all behind, permanently. Leave her behind.   
Nova forced a smile. “Well, if that’s your decision then I fully support you.” She stared at her socked feet. “Whatever will make you happy.”   
“Nova…” he reached out a hand of nightsand as if to touch her, then dropped it. “Are you okay?”   
“I’m fine,” but her stupid voice cracked, and to her surprise, something wet trailed down her cheeks. Tears? She touched her face and gritted her teeth, disgusted. Tears were for weak humans. Only humans felt sadness and despair. Only humans lost their temper. Only humans loved.   
“Please,” Hale said wretchedly. “I didn’t come to make you sad. I just wanted you to know because you’re my best friend. I’ll still be Hale. Only horsier, and with a tail.”  
Nova laughed as she scrubbed her face, and she gazed at him. “Just… don’t forget me, okay? Do what you need to do. I’ll be there for you no matter what, but think of me when you’re out there wreaking havoc.”   
“I promise,” he said, and this time he really did reach out his hand to stroke her cheek with his thumb. “See you, Princess.” His sandy silhouette started disintegrating.   
“See you, Hale,” she whispered as the last traces of nightsand scattered into the air.   
_______________

“I’m so glad you’re here, Nova” Toothiana said upon the girl’s arrival at Tooth Palace.   
“As long as I get some complimentary floss,” Nova smiled.   
“You like flossing?” Tooth asked excitedly.   
“Of course. I do it every leap year. Gotta keep the chompers clean, you know?” Nova laughed at Tooth’s disappointed expression.   
Behind her the mountain gave way to reveal the entrance to the palace, and in front of her towered intricate pillars of pink and gold, suspended on clouds. Waterfalls ringing the sides of the mountain dropped below into pools of water at the bottom.   
Tooth gestured towards the place. “So, would you like a tour?”   
“That sounds perfect,” she said.   
Nova spent the entirety of the tour absorbed by what she saw and heard. According to Tooth, each of the seven pillars, one for each continent, held the collected teeth of children. She watched as miniature fairies zipped by and dropped teeth off in little boxes kept inside the pillars. As Nova walked across the platform, Tooth gesticulated animatedly, describing her rewarding job and the wonders of children, etc, etc. Mostly Nova tuned her out in favor of observing the palace and trying to come up with a good plan of attack. But at one point, her curiosity got the better of her.   
“Why do you collect the teeth? Do you have some sort of strange tooth fetish?”  
Toothiana smiled. “It’s not that.”   
“Maybe a secret hoarding addiction?”   
“It’s the memories, Nova,” Tooth almost sighed. They ended up in an oasis of sorts, and they sat by the little pond.   
“The memories?” she echoed.   
“Yes. The teeth hold the most important memories of childhood,” the fairy explained. “Whenever children are lost or confused, we bring them their memories. It helps, like a reminder of better times.”   
Nova stared at the light bouncing off the pond, lacing her hands together tightly until they turned white. “But what if there aren’t any good memories?”   
Tooth looked confused. “What?’   
Nova tried to quell her agitation. “What if a child doesn’t have any good memories? What happens then?”   
Tooth shook her head. “Every child has at least one good memory. Childhood always finds something happy to hold on to, even in the darkest of times. That’s what makes it so precious.” Nova thought of her Nightmare family that lived in the shadows. She thought of Hale, who was probably a full Nightmare by this point.   
“Maybe,” she said quietly.   
The feathers on Tooth’s body ruffled slightly, as if sensing something. She glanced at Nova apologetically. “I’m so sorry, but it seems that there’s been a problem in Moscow. Somebody’s dog is chasing a few of my fairies, and they need my help. I hope you won’t mind if I leave for a little while…?”   
“No, no, that’s fine,” Nova smiled. “I’ll just hang out here.” Tooth smiled and tousled Nova’s hair before flying off.   
Nova sat there for a while, lost in thought, until something flew into her periphery. It was one of those mini fairies.   
“Hello,” Nova said to the fairy. She made a squeaking kind of noise in response. “And what should I call you? Tooth Junior?” The fairy shook her head. “Tiny Tooth?” Wrong again. “Baby Tooth?”   
At this the fairy made a noise of affirmation.  
Nova grinned. “Baby Tooth, huh? Want to do me a huge favor?” 

Baby Tooth shook her head as if to say, _Nope. No. That is not happening. _  
“C’mon. Please?” Nova widened her eyes innocently. They were at the base of one of the pillars, and Nova stood with her hands clutched in front of her, pleading with the mini fairy to let her in. “I just want to see. Besides, what could possibly be suspicious about me going in there? It’s not like I’m going to steal some kid’s memories. I haven’t reached that level of creepy quite yet.”  
Baby Tooth still didn’t look convinced. Nova stared at her feet. “And my memories might be in there.” The little fairy’s expression softened a fraction. With a sigh, she touched the pillar, and a door materialized. Baby Tooth nodded at Nova who shot her a grateful look. Nova stepped inside, closing the door shut behind her.   
The inside of the hollow pillar was basically a storage room, the walls made up of filing cabinets extending skyward. Individual cabinets slid outwards outside of the pillar as fairies dropped off teeth, but Nova was alone inside. Baby Tooth had given her privacy.   
Nova walked across what she realized was cloud flooring until she approached the cabinets. This pillar was dedicated to the continent she had been born in, so theoretically her tooth box should be here somewhere.   
The cabinets were labeled with pictures of faces, and Nova looked around for hers, trying to move quickly. She didn’t know how long Tooth would be gone, but ideally she wanted to be out of the pillar before the fairy’s return. Snooping around could possibly arouse some suspicion in the fairy queen.   
After at least fifteen minutes of futile searching, Nova stomped her foot impatiently. Did it have to be so impossible to locate her stupid box of stupid memories of her stupid childhood? Nova threw herself down onto her back and glared up at the ceiling, thinking some rather venomous thoughts towards the fairy species when her eyes landed on it. Her cabinet, about thirty feet from the ground.   
But how to get to it? She could call Baby Tooth… but, no. This was an experience she wanted to be alone for. There was another way, of course.   
Biting her lip, Nova shifted into Nightmare form and vaulted herself into the air. Her fingers closed around the handle of her cabinet, and yanking it open, she plucked her box from where it rested on crushed velvet, and rocketed back to the ground. She slid back into her human state and sat on the ground.   
Nova’s fingers trembled as she carefully turned the box over in her hand. The metal was cool to touch, and she studied her face on the cap, her human face.   
Was it possible…? It had been a while since she’d thought fondly of her old life. But this box could hold memories of happier days, a time before things had fallen apart. Hesitantly, she ran her finger over the colored tiles and waited for something to happen.   
Nothing. She ran her hand over the tiles again before shaking the container in frustration. Then she realized – there was no sound when she shook the box, no rattling of teeth. There were no teeth. Because her father had always thrown them away.   
The memory burst behind her eyelids, but it was not a happy one. __

___She held the little pearly thing in her hand and stared with satisfaction at her gap-toothed smile in the bathroom mirror. She was extremely proud to have to have pulled the tooth out all on her own, and she called her parents to come see.  
Her father appeared in the doorway, and even her six year old self could see what a mess he was, with his stained shirt and mussed hair.   
“You okay?” he mumbled.   
“Yeah. Where’s Mom?”   
Her dad glared at the floor. “She said she needed her space.”  
Nova tried not to look crestfallen. “So she’s not here?”  
“She took the car. I guess she went for a drive.”  
“Oh,” Nova said. Then she brightened. “Look, Daddy, I lost a tooth!” She held it out for him to see. “We need to put it under my pillow so the Tooth Fairy can take it.”   
“That’s disgusting, Nova. Give me that,” he snatched the tooth from her and dropped it in the sink.   
“No, what are you doing!” She made a grab for it, but her father blocked her.   
“Listen to me carefully,” he said as he turned on the tap. “There is no such thing as the Tooth Fairy. You need to grow up. Do you understand, Nova?”  
She watched as the tooth disappeared down the drain. “Yes.” ____ _

____Nova dropped the box and tried to stop her shaking.  
Of course. Of course. There were no good memories or happy childhoods for her kind. And as much as her childhood had been awful, she couldn’t bring herself to hate her parents. Because they didn’t hate her. They never had. But then, no one hated Nova Stargazer like she hated herself.   
Almost mechanically, she retrieved her box and returned it to the cabinet. Then, without thinking, she found herself opening a random cabinet and pulling some kid’s teeth box out. She didn’t know why she was doing this, but she couldn’t seem to make herself stop. Nova ran her hand over the tiles and watched as the world shattered in lieu of a memory reel.   
A little girl at the carnival, riding a Ferris wheel with her brother. The girl opening presents at a birthday party, surrounded by friends and family. The girl sitting around a campfire, roasting s’mores.   
Nova pulled boxes from cabinets arbitrarily and lost herself in a torrent of memories. _ _ _ _

_____A young boy waving at his parents in the audience before a choir performance.  
A girl being taught how to fish by her grandfather.   
A family carving a pumpkin in preparation for Halloween.   
A boy holding his baby brother for the first time.   
A little girl, admiring the constellations with her parents.__ _ _ _

______When Tooth finally returned, she found Nova curled up on the floor of the pillar, surrounded by boxes of teeth._ _ _ _ _ _


	5. Dreams and Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova crashes at Tooth's palace for the night and has a surprising dream that leaves her shaken.

Tooth flitted to Nova’s side immediately.   
“Oh my god, what happened?” The fairy queen helped her into sitting position. “Are you okay?”   
Nova groaned and pressed her palms against her head. “Headache. Migraine, maybe. Has my head exploded?” Tooth glanced at the boxes strewn around.   
“Nova, what were you doing in the pillar? Did you look through all these boxes?” Her tone was accusatory but not severe.   
Nova tried to speak but then choked and gripped her head harder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Tooth.” Her voice broke. Hold it together, she told herself viciously. Don’t you dare cry in front of the enemy. Her head felt like someone had mistaken it for a xylophone and was bashing mallets against her skull. Just tell her the truth.   
She took a deep breath. “I wanted to see my memories. But, um, my dad always threw away my teeth, so I guess you couldn’t have collected them. I was curious as to what other kid’s happy memories were like… so I looked. I’m really sorry,” Nova said earnestly.   
Tooth sighed. “I’m not mad, Nova, but I don’t allow people to see other people’s memories for a reason. They’re not yours, so it’s not good for your head to look at them. Memories are very complicated, personal things,” she explained. “You’re not meant to see someone else’s.”   
“Well, that would explain why my brain is trying to escape from inside my head,” Nova gritted her teeth against the heavy throbbing. “Is there anything I can take to make the pain stop, like medicine or something?”   
Tooth shook her head sympathetically. “Sleep might help, but no, medicine doesn’t work.” Nova sighed, then winced.   
“Can I crash here for the night?”   
Tooth smiled. “Yeah. I’ll show you a place.” 

* * *

Jack sat on one of the tables in the Globe Room and watched as frost spread from his fingertips onto the wood. Sandy had just arrived, and being the last, the meeting was about to start.   
“Thank you all for coming,” North welcomed the Guardians. “This is just a check-in to see how the Nova situation is going. Is it safe to keep protecting her? What do you say, my friends?”   
Jack was the first to speak. “I think she’s cool.”   
“You also think komodo dragons are cool, and they’ll tear you into tiny, annoying pieces,” Bunny countered. Jack wondered if it was worth it to freeze Bunny’s legs together.   
“She seems nice enough, Bunny,” North said, and Sandy nodded.   
“But what kind of person likes spicy Mexican seasoning on cookies, North? I say that’s suspicious enough to raise an alarm.”   
“I agree with Bunny,” Tooth said. “Well, maybe not about the seasoning part.” Her feathers ruffled anxiously. “I just left Nova back at the palace. She’s sleeping. And yeah, she’s a nice girl. But I also found her going through some teeth boxes earlier today. I don’t think she meant to steal them, and she said she was just curious, but still.”   
Everyone looked surprised.   
“That is strange, Tooth,” North nodded. “And there’s nothing Pitch could need from the boxes?”   
“I don’t think so. He tried taking them last time, remember? But we just collected the teeth ourselves. He’s not dumb enough to try that twice.”   
“Well, maybe she was just curious,” Jack said. “I mean, when Pitch had my box, I was really determined to get it back. I needed to see my memories.”   
Bunny smiled grimly. “And look where that got us, mate. All my eggs were destroyed, and children stopped believing in me.”   
“Okay, yeah, but this isn’t the same thing—”   
“Alright, enough, all of you,” North boomed. “I say we continue watching over Nova. She has not yet proven herself untrustworthy, though I think we can all agree that she is a bit odd. Let’s keep a close eye on her in the meantime, and if she makes any false moves, we will send her away to face Pitch on her own.”   
The Guardians all nodded, but Jack couldn’t stop thinking about the way her eyes lit up when they were watching the stars and how she seemed unsure of things. He couldn’t believe that she had some ulterior motive. But the others were expecting an answer from him, consent.   
“Yeah, okay,” he said grudgingly. 

* * *

Nova was almost surprised when she entered the spare room and found the bathroom didn’t have any floss. But flossing was for the weak, anyway.   
The room was large and colorful and full of posters encouraging dental hygiene, but Nova simply walked over to the bed and collapsed, which didn’t really help her head.   
Sleep might help. But would sleep help her to forget the fact that she literally had no good memories of her childhood? Would sleep erase her father’s wan face from her mind? Did she want his face erased? Nova buried her face in the plush pillow. Sleep is not going to happen, she figured, but it turned out she was wrong. 

The night was long and cold. Little Nova sat by the window in her bedroom, watching as the streetlamps illuminated bits of falling snow. Her thoughts wandered back to the evening’s events, of her mother returning from her drive and yelling at her father for throwing away the tooth. Of her father saying that it didn’t matter, and that the woman was just looking for another excuse to shriek at him. Of the voices escalating. Of Nova hiding in her room as if hiding could make the world go away.   
Now all was quiet, and she clutched the raggedy old stuffed bear tightly to her chest.  
“You won’t yell, will you?” she whispered to the bear.   
“And why would I yell?” a voice asked, and she looked up to see a boy sitting across from her on the window seat, with snowy white hair, blue eyes, and a frosted blue sweatshirt. In his hand was a twisted wooden staff that gently glowed.   
“Jack Frost?” Nova was almost scared to ask.   
He beamed at her. “Yep. Now, what seems to be the problem?” He touched her cheek and trapped a teardrop on the tip of his finger. It froze solid, and she gave him a small smile.   
“My parents are always so angry at each other,” she said in a wobbly voice. “I think maybe it’s because of me. Because they can’t afford to take care of a kid right now. But I didn’t mean to make it hard for them, honest! I told Mom that I wouldn’t ask for a Christmas gift this year if that would help, and she just started crying. I don’t know what to do…” Jack took her hands in his.   
“Hey,” he said, gazing at her earnestly. “You don’t need to worry about that. Leave that to the grownups, okay? All you need to worry about is how you’re going to beat me in a snowball fight because I,” he bowed grandly, “am the king of snowballs. See?” He held out his hand and a perfectly shaped snowball appeared. “Think you can top that?”   
Nova giggled. “Totally.”   
He grinned. “Well, alright then. Let’s see if you can put your money where your mouth is.” He lifted her up and took her outside to the snowy front yard, and they proceeded to have the best snowball fight Nova had ever had. And when they were done and Nova was all tired out, Jack brought her back to her bed and, a little haphazardly, tucked her in.   
“That was fun,” he smiled, and as he turned to go, Nova caught his hand.   
“Don’t leave,” she pleaded. “I don’t want to face my parents again. I don’t… how can I…”   
“Shh,” he said gently. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”   
She stared up at him uncertainly. “Promise?”   
“I promise.” 

Nova sat up with a start, her heart pounding. Her headache had subsided for the most part, but her palms were sweaty. That dream… it was more than a dream. It was a memory, one she had all but forgotten.   
Nova ran a hand through her wild hair, feeling very unsettled. She wanted to deny the memory, dismiss it as some ludicrous dream sequence her subconscious mind had invented. But now that it had been brought to her attention, she seemed to remember every detail of that night, from the chill of the frosty air on her cheeks to the little snowflakes caught in Jack’s lashes. It had happened.   
She rammed her fist into the soft down of the bed. No. Jack Frost was the enemy. Never mind that he had visited her as a little girl and tried to cheer her up. Never mind that he might not be as annoying and stuck up as she had previously thought…  
Ugh. She shook her head and finally got out of bed after realizing she was too wired to sleep. But she didn’t want to stay in the room either, with its rainbows and posters. So she left the room.   
It was nighttime at Tooth Palace, and all the mini fairies had disappeared to bed or wherever it was fairies slept. The place felt so much more enormous when she was alone. Nova walked along the platform and tried to distract herself by thinking of sassy remarks she would make whenever she saw Jack again. Then something caught her eye. Her gaze travelled along the spires that hung from the ceiling, and slowly an idea began to form in her mind…   
“Nova?” She flinched and turned around to face Toothiana. She hadn’t even heard the fairy approach. “I thought you were sleeping. Is everything okay?” The genuine concern made Nova’s stomach twist, but she replied, “Um, yeah. I just… had a bad dream.”   
“Do you want to talk about it?” Actually, she didn’t, but Pitch’s voice rang through her head. Gain their trust. She couldn’t fail him.   
“Yeah.” Tooth smiled and lowered herself until she was sitting on the platform, her legs swinging from the edge carelessly. Nova sat down next to her. She wasn’t about to talk about her dream of Jack, so she scrambled to remember the last bad dream she’d had.   
She watched one of the waterfalls in the distance. “I dreamt about my parents. I haven’t seen them… in a while, which is both a relief and a worry to me.” Nova closed her eyes. Since she’d started, she might as well go all the way. “When I was little, my mom and dad used to argue a lot. It was always loud, and they would always be really angry or sad afterwards. When they separated, it was hard for all of us. I think my parents loved each other, but they just couldn’t make it work. And I feel like part of the reason was me. My dad had this awful temper, and my mom just yelled over him, never bothering to talk things out. And eventually I ran away.” Nova swallowed, surprised at the unfeigned bitterness in her tone. “Don’t you see, Tooth? I was scared and angry, so I ran away. I gave up on them. What kind of person gives up on her own family?”   
Tooth didn’t look at her with disgust or pity but instead simply contemplated her question. “It’s not my place to tell you what to do, but my advice is to do whatever will make you happy in the end. If that means keeping your distance from your parents, then that’s understandable. But if happiness means accepting that there’s a problem and facing it head on, then you should do it.”   
Nova’s voice was small as she voiced the question that had been haunting her for the past twenty years. “What if it’s too late?”   
Tooth shook her head. “In my experience, and I’ve been around for a long time, it’s never too late to fix things.”   
“Really?”  
“Really.”   
Nova was quiet for a while, absorbing this. Then, before she could change her mind, she leaned over and drew Tooth in for a hug. She couldn’t quite tell if it was part of the act or not, but when Tooth’s arms came around her, Nova smiled truly and freely for the first time in ages.


	6. Arts and Crafts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova and Jack get to know each other a little better after a day spent doing arts and crafts with the elves and more.

It was Christmas Eve, and Nova was back at the workshop. North was in his element, making last minute changes to toy designs, ordering yetis around, snacking on spicy sugar cookies which were now a big hit at the Pole.   
“Anything I can help you with, North?” Nova asked as he walked by.   
“No, no, Nova, but thank you for offering. I see that you are bored, however.” It was true. For the past few hours she had been aimlessly stacking and restacking piles of action figures in a messy heap, which had made Phil’s eyes twitch.   
“Well, I might be a little bored,” Nova admitted, “but I can occupy myself. Maybe I’ll go assist Phil…”   
“That won’t be necessary,” North said quickly. He stroked his beard. “Actually, the elves are participating in arts and crafts on the other side of the workshop. Perhaps you’d like to join them?”   
“Will there be singing or baking involved?”  
“Probably not.”  
Nova nodded. “I’m in.” 

Long tables were joined back to back to form one massive arts and crafts area, and tools of every size and shape covered the surface: hot glue guns, wire, bits of tinsel, pieces of wood, beads, moldable metal, x acto blades. And sitting amidst the sea of elves was none other than Jack Frost.   
He hadn’t seen her yet, and Nova was suddenly unsure of whether it was wise to join him. She kept seeing his face from the dream, the undeniable kindness in his eyes, and the personal connection she felt with him now was weird and uncomfortable.   
She had just about decided to turn around and hide in a corner when he spotted her.   
“There you are, Twinkle Toes,” he grinned. “Come join the party.”   
“I f you insist, Snowflake,” she said casually as she came to sit next to him, but inside she was screaming, Do you remember that night? Do you remember me? Nova half-expected Jack to suddenly recognize her from all those years back and realize that hey, maybe she should look older than seventeen, but instead he carefully carved a slab of wood.   
Nova watched his long, thin fingers guide the blade as he worked on the carving. “What are you making?”  
“I’m paying a tribute to Bunny.” He proudly held up his half-finished piece.   
Nova squinted at it. “Is that supposed to be Bunny?”  
“Yeah.”  
“It looks like a moose having a seizure.”   
Jack looked deeply offended, and Nova laughed. “You don’t understand art,” he muttered.   
“Oh, yeah?” She grabbed a handful of tinsel and sprinkled it in his hair. Then she pretended to study him like a painting. “Et voila. My masterpiece is complete. I call it – Ice Princess.”   
Jack raised his eyebrow like, _Challenge accepted _, and pointed his staff at her, freezing her lips.  
“I call it – Silence of the Nova.”   
“MMmmmphhh!” she protested, and Jack snickered. Finally an elf appeared before them and gave them a solid scolding, confiscating Nova’s tinsel and ordering Jack to unfreeze her face. They both obeyed sheepishly, and when the elf eventually left after glaring at them, they cracked up.   
“Okay,” Nova said after wiping her eyes. “I’m going to make something, so try not to distract me with your gloriousness.”   
“Is that even possible?” She smacked him lightly on the arm. __

__* * *_ _

__After an hour of sweat and toil, Nova’s actual masterpiece was finished.  
“For you,” she said, presenting Jack with her piece. He glanced down, surprised, at the bracelet she had made for him. It was a band of silver metal bent into the shape of a bracelet, with the words Chill Out etched on the inside. “Do you get it?” she laughed. “’Chill out’. Because you’re the spirit of winter. Do you see how clever I am?”   
“Yeah,” he smiled, but his focus was on the dimples that appeared when she beamed. She took his hand and slipped the bracelet onto his wrist, and he stared at it as it settled comfortably against his skin. Nova had struck him as kind of clumsy when they’d met in the beginning, but the detail and cut of the bracelet revealed deft hands. Coordination.   
“Thank you,” he said, and she nodded shyly. While she had been working on the bracelet, Jack had finished the Bunny sculpture. Now he looked down at the golden metal he had started shaping. Then he glanced at Nova, who was making faces at the elves to agitate them. Hiding a grin, he began to work. _ _

__* * *_ _

__It was a few hours later that Jack turned to Nova and said, “You know, I think it’s time for a blizzard.”  
She shot him a bemused look. “What, here? Only if you want North to cheerfully beat you senseless.”   
“Nah, I mean back at my hometown,” he clarified. “It’s been a while since I’ve visited them. I think they could use a dose of fun before Christmas.”   
Nova smirked at him. “And you’re bringing the fun?”  
“Well, of course. Who’s more fun than me?”   
“I’m pretty sure I am,” a voice said from behind them, and they turned to see the Easter Bunny. There go my plans of having fun, Nova thought.   
Jack scoffed. “Yeah. I’m sure kids would rather wake up to find a painted egg under their bed than three feet of snow outside their window.”   
“You bet they would,” Bunny grinned.   
“Well, apparently the forecast for today is a blizzard,” Nova interjected.   
“For Burgess,” said Jack. “Nova, you should come to witness this spectacular event.”   
“Sure.”   
“Well, I’m coming along,” Bunny decided. “Someone’s got to keep an eye on you troublemakers.”   
“Um, Jack and I are angels sent from heaven,” Nova said.  
Jack nodded. “We’re a gift to mankind.”   
Bunny rolled his eyes, and his attention fell on the sculpture on the table. “Is that supposed to be me?”  
Jack looked pleased. “You like it?”  
Bunny scratched his head. “It looks like a moose. With constipation.”  
“I was thinking more along the lines of seizure,” Nova added helpfully.   
“Yeah, I can see that.”  
Jack threw up his hands. “Alright, let’s just go before someone actually appreciates my art.” Bunny and Nova disguised their laughter as coughs. _ _

__Nova recognized the place when they got there, with its twinkling Christmas lights, snowmen, and giant decorated Christmas tree in the center of town. Jack set her down on the top of a building, and Bunny popped up beside her from out of a rabbit hole. He looked distinctly ruffled.  
“You okay?” Nova asked him, only half sarcastically.   
He smoothed his fur. “I’m great. I just got attacked by those little, good for nothing, demons.” She looked at him questioningly, and he pointed down below, across the street where a litter of puppies was romping around, overseen by their mother. The dogs were playing on presumably their owner’s lawn, and a sign stuck in the ground read, New Litter – Free Puppies.   
Nova chuckled. “Those are some scary demons.”   
While Bunny grumbled, she turned to Jack. “So…blizzard, you say?”   
Jack was looking out at his hometown as if envisioning the storm he was about to set on it. “Yep. And you and I are going to be in the middle of it.”   
“Hang on, what—” She was cut off by Jack grabbing her and dragging her along as he rocketed into the sky. They flew so fast that the colors around her merged into one single streaking colloid, and the wind was a roar in her ears.   
They stopped suddenly, and it took a few dizzying moments for the world to stop spinning. When it did, she realized that they were almost at cloud level.   
“Don’t…do…that,” Nova gasped, catching her breath.   
Jack grinned. “Sorry.” He took her hand and placed it around his side, and in turn he gripped her tightly. “Okay. Now this is my favorite part, but you’ll have to hold on as if your life depends on it.”   
“It probably does!”   
He laughed. “Here goes…” And they fell.   
Nova and Jack plummeted from the sky like falling stars, and as they did, the air around them grew colder. Nova could feel the ice forming on her cheeks, a chill that went deeper than the wind whipping around her. The blue sky vanished in place of a grey one, and suddenly snow exploded around them. They were in the middle of a storm.   
The snow was heavy and thick and seemed to shriek gleefully at her. She could barely see in front of her or feel Jack beside her. In fact… she couldn’t feel him or the staff at all. They must have been ripped apart by the force of the blizzard.   
Nova was freefalling._ _


	7. Jack vs. Hale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack goes after an old friend of Nova's, and she has to decide who's side she will take.

Terror seized her. _This is it. I’m going to die. This is how it ends _. She screamed.  
Then Jack’s arms were around her, and the falling felt more like gliding until they touched down on the building top again where Bunny was waiting.   
Jack shook ice out of his hair. “Sorry about that. I think my staff— hey, are you okay?”   
Nova was shaking hard, and it wasn’t from the cold. She turned away. “I’m fine.” But she wasn’t fine. She had trusted him, like an idiot, to keep her safe. She had trusted him when he said it would be fun. And he’d let her down and almost gotten her killed. Well, that’s what she got for putting her faith in a Guardian.   
Bunny was watching her carefully. She beat down her emotions and held herself in an iron grip. She had a job to do. “Yeah,” Nova faced Jack again, plastering a warm smile on her face. “It’s cool. And look, I think some kids are coming out to play.”   
It was true. Hopeful faces were peeking out the window to see the snow coming down. And when they realized it really was snow, they came back out decked in jackets and mittens and boots, voices escalating excitedly. Ugh. Only children could find this kind of weather fun.   
Jack grinned widely. “C’mon,” he said to Nova.   
“I’ll catch up with you in a minute, Jack.” He nodded and jumped over the side of the building to join the kids.   
Nova lowered herself to the ground, blinking snow out of her eyes, and pulled her coat tighter around her. She was still rattled from falling, as pathetic as that was. She had never felt so out of control as a Nightmare. This was something else. This was human. Trust. Hope. Fun. She curled her lip.   
Bunny sat down next to her, and they watched the children playing.   
“Sorry about Jack,” Bunny said eventually.   
Nova glanced at him. “Why? He’s cool.”   
“Well,” the Easter Bunny’s nose twitched. “Don’t know about cool, but he’s a good guy, kind and understanding. But he’s also impulsive and a bit of a thrill-seeker. It’s part of being the Guardian of fun, I guess.” Nova stared at him vaguely. “My point is,” Bunny sighed, “he doesn’t always think before he acts. So if he drops you out of the sky, it’s not because he’s trying to kill you or cause you permanent brain damage—”   
“Bunny, if you tell me it’s because he loves me, I swear to the moon—”   
“No, no,” Bunny laughed. “I’m saying it’s because he just wants you to have a good time.”  
“If Jack’s idea of a good time is death, then remind me to skip the next Guardian hang-out session,” Nova said, but her mind was stuck on Bunny’s words. He just wants you to have a good time. Bunny smiled at her, and she smiled back.   
Jack’s head appeared over the side of the building. “Sorry to interrupt this beautiful bonding, but Nova, there’s someone I want you to meet.” __

__They touched down on the steps of a porch, and the old man watched as they approached from the porch seat. His grey hair and wrinkles told his true age, but his twinkling eyes revealed a younger nature.  
The old man smiled. “Jack. It’s good to see you, my friend.”   
Jack embraced him. “Merry Almost Christmas, Jamie.” The old man, Jamie, released Jack and turned his bright eyes to Nova. “And who is this lovely young lady?”  
“This is Nova,” Jack introduced her. “Nova, this is Jamie, my first believer and rather ancient friend.”   
“Nice to meet you, sir,” Nova smiled shyly. Jamie reached over and clasped her hands in his.   
“Oh, there’s no need to call me ‘sir’.” He grinned at the two of them. “Why don’t you both come inside for a bit? Pippa’s making hot chocolate.” _ _

__Pippa’s hot chocolate could give the elves’ a run for their money. The four of them sat around the kitchen table, talking. Jamie had just finished telling them a hilarious story about one of Jack’s pranks, and they were all laughing.  
“So, Jamie was your first believer. You’ve known him since he was a kid?” Nova asked Jack.   
The Guardian nodded. “Oh, yeah. Without Jamie, we couldn’t have beaten Pitch when he was threatening to rise.”   
Nova tried not to stare at Jamie. So this was the man who had defeated her king. She spoke curiously. “And was it…satisfying to beat Pitch, Jamie?”   
Jamie looked surprised. “Well, defeating the guy who was trying to ruin childhood was satisfying, yes,” he said. “But no, I didn’t get any particular pleasure in banishing Pitch Black.”   
Nova traced the rim of her mug, restless. “He’s evil, though. Surely you must have felt like a hero.”   
Jamie and Pippa looked at each other, and some wordless communication passed between them. He turned back to her then. “Nova, you come to understand a few things when you’re older. At this point in my life, I don’t know if I believe in good and evil anymore. I do, however, believe in darkness and light, and they are two forces that constantly battle each other for dominance. Perhaps neither is evil, but what one chooses to do with either is what matters. Do you understand what I’m getting at?”  
Nova did, and she reluctantly nodded. What he was saying was that darkness was not bad, but Pitch was. It was his nature. He deserved to be defeated. The hot chocolate didn’t taste so wonderful all of a sudden. Nova pushed it away and stood.   
“Thank you Jamie and Pippa for the drink,” she said. “It was wonderful meeting you both.” They nodded, and she turned to Jack. “I’ll be outside.” And she left the house.   
Outside, evening was approaching, evident in the fading pink sky and setting sun. Bunny was making snowmen with some kids while others were engaging in an intense snowball fight. One snowball actually hit her, and she glared so fiercely at the kid that he dropped his armful of ammo and backed away in horror. She nodded and sat on the base of the town statue, content in solitude.   
But solitude brought time to think, and Nova’s thoughts towards the Guardians were acidic. She shook her head. At one point she had almost convinced herself that she liked them. But that’s what they were like – cunning, persuasive beings that got in your head and messed around in there. She thought of Jack taking her to see the stars, of Tooth comforting her, of Bunny and North and Sandy and their deceptive kindness. Lies. All they cared about was the children believing in them, and even that was a selfish desire. Without the children they would be nothing.   
Nova drew her knees up to her chin and watched the children playing. And the children… she didn’t hate them, not really. No, she envied them, their innocence and potential. Their capacity to dream and play and laugh freely. They had everything. And she? She had her hatred and her shadows.   
The kids giggled and reveled in the snow, but Nova’s attention drew away from them to the side where a little girl sat, watching them from the window of her house. The girl’s expression was wistful, and Nova recognized it well. Loneliness. The girl placed a hand on the window hesitantly, then turned away and disappeared into the house. Nova felt inexplicably sad upon seeing this, but before she had time to analyze her feelings, Jack was there.   
He pointed to the sky, which was now inky blue and occupied by the moon. “Look, the sun’s gone down.”   
“Your observational skills are unparalleled,” she said politely.   
He rolled his eyes. “No, I mean they’re going to light the town tree and sing.” He held out his hand. “It’s something you might like to see, my hippie poet friend.”   
Nova was tempted to smack his hand away, but sighing inwardly, she took it. “Alright. But don’t expect me to know the words to ‘Silent Night’.”   
The tree in the center of town was truly a sight to see. Towering twenty feet tall, it was strewn with colorful Christmas lights, and the freshly fallen snow gave it a nice holiday look. Now that night had truly arrived, the glow of the lights was cozy, and people were gathering around it, holding white candles. Nova joined the crowd, Bunny and Jack on either side of her, and hesitantly returned the smiles of the townspeople.   
At first there was an expectant silence.   
Then the people began to sing.   
It was something very different from caroling. When they joined together, deep voices like drums, high voices like bells, and all the ones in between, it was something magical. The notes rose and fell in waves, swelling at the crescendos and fading at the ends. People swayed their candles. One woman standing by even offered her hand to Nova, who took it after a moment’s pause. And all around her people linked their free hands as they sang.   
Jack slipped his icy hand into hers and said in her ear, “Bunny told me about how you felt earlier, and I just wanted to tell you that I’m really sorry, Nova.” He looked at her earnestly. “I didn’t mean to scare you. No more blizzards. Promise.” She looked at him carefully.   
She smiled, a little of the anger easing up in her chest. “Thanks.” And they got caught up in the music.   
In retrospect, she wondered why she had been so angry. Sure, Jamie’s words had stung, but really her fury had been directed at Jack.   
Nova didn’t realize the gradual change taking place inside her darkened heart. Her tentative trust in Jack had been shaken, but standing there amidst the crowd and joyful voices, the trust was slowly repairing itself. But trust builds its foundation on love. And everyone knows that Nightmares can’t love.   
When the songs were over and people began to chat amongst themselves, Nova, Jack, and Bunny figured it was time to go. As Nova and Jack flew, Bunny racing along below them, Nova couldn’t help smiling to herself. Christmas Eve in Burgess had been surprisingly pleasant, enjoyable even, and she glanced at Jack’s face. He really had looked sorry when he apologized to her. If she could just forget Jamie, then the day would have been perfect.   
She was just thinking of the warm bed waiting for her back at the Pole when suddenly something sleek and black streaked past them. A Nightmare. Jack let out a noise of surprise before darting after it. The winds gently deposited her on a nearby rooftop.   
“Stay there,” Bunny called to her as he followed Jack. “We’ll be right back.”   
“Not on your nelly,” Nova muttered. Shifting into shadow form, she let the darkness envelop her, and she flew after them.   
The Nightmare was a blur as it raced across the sky, Jack and Bunny hot on its heels. Nova kept pace with them, hidden in her cloak of night. Her thoughts were sulfurous. Why was this Nightmare out and about, flaunting itself in plain sight of the Guardians? And alone, too! What was it thinking? Surely Pitch didn’t approve of this. Didn’t it know how dangerous the situation was?   
She tried to think of a plan. Maybe she could cause a distraction, give the Nightmare time to escape –   
A flash of blue stole her attention. Jack was firing ice bolts with deadly precision, but the Nightmare moved like lightening. Bunny launched himself over the younger Guardian and flicked his boomerangs. They missed the beast by inches. It whinnied angrily and rammed into Jack, who was flung backwards upon impact and crashed onto the top of a building. The beast dove after him, but Bunny leaped onto its back and started whacking it, clinging to it as it tried to buck him off. Someone was going to get hurt.   
Nova touched down on the building top behind a cement structure and shifted back to human state. The fight looked pretty brutal, as far as she could see. The Nightmare was like a hurricane, impossibly quick, lashing out with its strong hooves at the two Guardians. And Jack and Bunny fought together like they’d been doing it for years, which they probably had, balancing each other, using each other, a team.   
“What’s that noise, Bunny?” Jack cocked his head as he took aim at the beast. “Is that… I think it is! The sweet sound of me defeating this Nightmare before you do.”   
Bunny snorted. “Sorry. Your big, inflated head was blocking my way, mate. Might want to –”   
He broke off with a choking noise as a dark shape flew at him with the force of a wrecking ball. The Guardian of hope slammed backwards into the cement structure and crumpled to the ground.   
The Nightmare made a funny braying noise like laughter, and in that moment of near stillness, Nova caught a glimpse of something on the creature’s visage. A distinct white scar running from its temple to jaw. Her stomach lurched. Hale.   
All traces of humor were gone from Jack’s face. With a yell, he threw himself at the beast—at Hale, bringing down his staff in an arc. It smacked into the Nightmare’s shoulder, and Hale staggered. Fury flickered in his yellow eyes, and Hale reared up on his hind legs, twice the size of Jack, and was about to lunge at the Guardian when Nova burst out of the shadows screaming, “No!”   
The beast froze, momentarily distracted by Nova. His head was tilted as he gazed at his oldest friend, and Nova couldn’t tear her eyes away from him. It had been so long since she’d last seen him in person. Or in horse. Whatever.   
Jack took advantage of the moment of pause and blasted shards of ice at the Nightmare. The beast let out a howl as several pierced him and sank to the floor.   
Nova watched in horror as the ice seemed to coat Hale and consume him. Every instinct in her told her to run to him and help him, but she kept herself rooted in place. Even now, even as her friend lay dying, she couldn’t blow her cover.   
Jack’s back was to her, so she raised two fingers to her temple and touched her heart. It was the Nightmare farewell for a fallen comrade. It was all she could do for him now.   
Bunny jerked upright just as Hale dissolved into black sand that blew away in the breeze. “What happened? Is everyone okay? What’s going on?”   
Nova smiled at him though she felt dead inside. “Nothing happened. Everything’s the way it should be.”_ _


	8. Circlets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova lost her circlet somewhere and goes off to find despite the danger of it blowing her cover. She also comes to a startling realization about Jack Frost.

Nova wanted to punch Jack in his stupid face. She wanted to chop Bunny’s whiskers off and do a hundred other things in her rage, but instead she confined herself to pacing her room.   
Gone. Hale was gone. Heavy despair covered Nova like a blanket, weighing her down, and she wrapped her arms around herself. Hale had been her best friend through the years, her confidant, her ally. He’d made her miserable life less miserable with his annoying optimism and easy smile. And now he was gone. He would never again call her “Princess” or pull pranks on the other Nightmares or flick her circlet just to annoy her.   
Her circlet!   
Nova’s hands flew to her head where the ring of silver usually rested, to feel nothing but her mess of hair. She groaned. How appropriate. Hale was gone, and now her circlet was too. It was like everything from her life as the Nightmare Princess was being snatched from her, leaving her with what? The Guardians? An old man, a snowman, an oversized rabbit, a hummingbird mutant, and a sandcastle gone wrong? She kicked her mattress.   
No. She was not going to be a part of them.   
With a reckless abandon, she threw open the door to the balcony outside her room, shifted into shadow form, and disappeared into the night sky. 

It was exhilarating to be a Nightmare again, and Nova relished the freedom of flying solo, the feel of the darkness around her, the detachment from emotion. She laughed delightedly at the shrieking winds. Can’t get me now, can you? she wanted to scream back but held her tongue. She was entering the sleeping town of Burgess, and she intended to complete her mission secretly. Waking the whole town by shouting at the inanimate wind could possibly get her into trouble with Sandy.   
Her plan was to search the place for her circlet. An impossible task, maybe, but Nova couldn’t stand being cooped up in the bedroom with so many thoughts raging in her head. She soared across the sky, her sharpened Nightmare eyes scanning the streets and corners for the glint of silver. She would find the circlet even if it took the whole night.   
And maybe she would have, if not for the little girl.   
The girl sat by the window, knees tucked under her chin, lips pressed tightly together. She didn’t see Nova, for she could not see Nightmares. Pitch and his army were still something no one really believed in, so Nova was invisible. But Nova could see the girl. Nova was drawn by her curiosity to the window, and she stared at the girl. The girl stared right through her.   
She had short brown hair and sorrowful brown eyes, and she looked to be maybe seven or eight. Too young for the expression she wore. Nova glanced into her room and saw the sign on her door said “Olivia”. And why was the little girl, Olivia, still awake? Plagued by nightmares? Insomnia?   
To Nova’s surprise, Olivia began to speak, though her eyes were focused on a point behind Nova. “I don’t know if you’re listening, but if you are, could I ask you something?” Nova followed her gaze and realized that the little girl was talking to the moon. “I’ve never been the cool kid, and that’s okay with me. But would it be too much to ask for a friend? Just one. Someone who’ll listen to me and love me no matter what. I know I have mom and dad, but I…” Olivia trailed off, and Nova watched as tears welled beneath her lashes and streaked down her cheeks. The little girl seemed to deflate, and she left the window sill and climbed into bed.   
Nova placed a hand on the window, then faced the moon. “Well?” she demanded. “You can’t ignore a plea like that.” The moon didn’t seem to hear her. She threw up her hands. “C’mon. Shoot a magic moonbeam or something and give the girl a friend.” The moon studiously ignored her.   
Nova glared at it. “Fine. Be that way. I don’t care.” She turned away as an idea began to form in her head. Nova could fix this problem. She just had to make a couple of stops first. With a smirk at the moon, she took off. 

After thanking the kind old woman, Nova retreated from the house with the warm bundle tucked away in her jacket and shifted back into Nightmare form. She streaked past different houses until she got to Olivia’s and stopped outside her window. Nova peered inside. The little girl was fast asleep, though she tossed and turned.   
As silently as she could, Nova eased the window open and slipped inside.   
She approached Olivia’s bed and looked down at the girl. Nova smiled and whispered, “Everyone deserves to feel loved.” Then she placed the bundle, the puppy, on the bed beside the girl and left the room to watch from behind the window.   
The puppy had been half-asleep, but upon being removed from Nova’s jacket and placed on the bed, it woke and started sniffing Olivia.  
Her eyes flew open and found the puppy, and she stared at it incredulously. “What…?” The puppy began licking her, and Olivia laughed. Suddenly her eyes widened. “Oh, I know where you came from! You’re from the new litter, one of Mrs. Taylor’s puppies. But how did you get all the way over here, buddy?” She glanced around the room, and for a moment, her gaze seemed to linger on Nova. Olivia squinted, and Nova quickly pulled away from the glass, heart pounding hard.   
By the time Olivia made it to the window, Nova was long gone, nothing more than a shadow of the moon. 

* * *

Jack was feeling oddly guilty though he wasn’t sure why. Nova didn’t come out of her room at the workshop for Christmas even after both he and North had knocked and asked if everything was okay. It had something to do with that night, the night of the Nightmare’s destruction, but he couldn’t make sense of it. She had come to them for protection from the Nightmares, yet after its death, she hadn’t left her room. Jack ran a hand through his hair. Maybe she was just sensitive, though Nova didn’t really strike him as the sensitive type.   
He perched on the railing of a balcony outside North’s workshop and watched the sun sink beneath the horizon.   
“Hey,” a voice said beside him, and he nearly slipped from the railing.   
He turned to face Nova. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and he couldn’t help but notice that it made her green eyes seem bigger.   
“Hey, yourself,” Jack said. Were her eyes red from crying or was that just a reflection of the setting sun? She noticed him staring, and he looked away quickly. But then he glanced at her again. “How did you get up here?”  
“I secretly have wings.” Jack stared at her, and she snorted. “This balcony leads to my room,” she clarified, and he nodded, understanding.   
Nova leaned against the railing, and together they watched as the sun was replaced by the moon and the stars. They were so close that he could feel the heat radiating off of her.   
“Oh,” he said, and hopped down from the railing onto the balcony floor. “Here, I made you something.” He held out the gift, his Christmas present for her. He had wanted to give it to her the day before on Christmas itself, but she hadn’t answered the door.   
Nova took the piece in her hands, her eyes widening. “A circlet?” she whispered. It was a thin circle of golden metal, as delicate and pretty as Jack could make it.   
He smiled and hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt. “You were wearing one the day you came here, but then you stopped…”  
“Yeah, I lost it,” Nova said, still admiring it.   
“I figured,” he nodded. “So, I thought I would make you another one. You know, to make up for the one you lost.” Gently removing it from her hands, Jack placed the circlet carefully on her head.   
“How does it look?” she asked.   
“Perfect,” he said quietly. Then he turned away before he could say something even more idiotic and embarrassing. But she took his hand, and when he faced her, her eyes were shining. “Thank you, Jack.”   
“You’re welcome, Nova.” The stars twinkled, and she sighed. “I need to ask you something.”  
“What’s up?”   
Nova didn’t meet his eyes. “What’s so terrible about fear, anyway? It protects us. Without it, we would rush headlong into danger and get ourselves killed. Fear watches over us, Jack.”  
He looked surprised. “Maybe. But too much fear isn’t good for the kids. Or anyone. We’d start to become afraid of everything. And that’s not okay. That’s what Pitch does to kids. That’s evil.”   
“But is it evil to want to be believed in?” Nova said softly. Jack looked down at her. She seemed so lost.   
He touched her shoulder, and she met his eyes. “Everything’s going to work out, you know.”   
She laughed, but it sounded a little off. “Maybe one day I’ll even believe that.” Nova looked distant, caught up in her own thoughts, so he decided it was probably a good time to leave.   
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said, and she grinned.   
“Is that a promise or a threat?”   
He wiggled his eyebrows. “Yes.” And with a parting smirk, he was gone. 

* * *

Nova was feeling very conflicted as she stood alone on the balcony, so she did what she had never done before. She approached the Man in the Moon.   
“Hey… Manny, right? Can I call you Manny?” The moon did not respond. Nova sighed. “Look, I know I shouldn’t be talking to you, and we’re not even on the same side, but I, um, have a problem.” The moon was silent, as if urging her to continue. She twisted her hands together, irritated. “Ugh, how does he do that, Manny? Why is it so hard to hate Jack? Every time he does something dumb, something that gives me an opportunity to hate him, he makes up for it by doing something so sweet and genuine that I can’t even…” she trailed off. It came back to her, how he took her stargazing, how he caught her as she fell, held her hand by the tree, and made her a circlet. His stupid, adorable laugh and those blue eyes like ice.   
“Manny,” she said, trying to keep the dread out of her voice. “I have a problem.” Nova wasn’t sure whether to laugh or to smack herself. “I think I’m in love with Jack Frost.”


	9. Who Are You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nova's loyalties are questioned, and she must decide once and for all who she will stand with - the Nightmares or the Guardians.

Every night Nova would stand out on the balcony to watch the sun set and the moon rise, and every night Jack would join her. Sometimes they talked, sometimes they didn’t. Nova found that she looked forward to those moments. And every time they sat together, she found herself stealing glances at him, wondering if he knew how she felt.   
And how did she feel, exactly? Furious. Disgusted with herself. Nightmares can’t love. It’s not in their nature. That’s what she repeated to herself over and over like a mantra. But then Jack would make some sarcastic comment that would make her crack up, and she’d forget why she was even supposed to despise him. She had been human for too long. It was weakening her.   
Besides, she told herself. He could never return my feelings. Not with me being what I am. Sometimes that thought helped. Sometimes it hurt.   
They stood together that night like they always did, leaning against the railing and talking.   
“No way,” Nova said.   
“It’s true,” Jack insisted. “North’s beard glows in the dark. I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”   
Nova laughed, and he just grinned mischievously.   
“Maybe he hides Christmas lights in it,” she theorized.   
Jack snickered. “Then it would heat up and catch on fire.” He twirled his staff and opened his mouth as if to say more when out of nowhere, a flash of shimmery black hit him in the head. With a sharp intake of breath, he collapsed on the ground in a heap.   
“Jack!” Nova crouched next to his fallen form, her arms fluttering helplessly over him. Then her eyes picked up the glint of the black. It looked like black glitter had exploded all over him, and she took a closer look. Nightsand.   
A sound drew her attention, and she turned to see two familiar figures landing on the balcony next to her. Her mouth fell open. It was Kyle and Anna, her old Nightmare friends. But that was it – they were Nightmares, full Nightmares. So how were they in their human forms?  
“Nova,” Kyle said, helping her up and embracing her. He looked different, older than she remembered. Anna, his sister, also looked different. Nova hugged her.   
“Hey, guys,” Nova said. “Pitch sent you?”   
Anna’s eyes were steely. “Nah. This is more of a… personal mission.”   
“’Personal’?” Nova repeated warily. Almost unconsciously, she stepped in front of Jack, creating a barrier between him and her old friends. “What does that mean? And how are you both human? You joined the beasts. It should have been a permanent change…”  
Kyle smiled, but there was no warmth to the gesture. “This is a one-time thing. As my sister said, we have some business to attend to, involving that pretty-boy Jack Frost.” He glanced down by her feet where the Guardian lay. “So if you don’t mind stepping out of the way, Nova—”   
Her heart started pounding for some reason. “What are you planning to do?”  
Anna huffed in annoyance. “That idiot killed Hale. Don’t you remember? You were there, according to Pitch’s spies. Or do you not care anymore that your best friend is dead? Have you gone all soft for the Guardians?” She spat their name like a curse. “Have you totally forgotten about us, your family, while you were collecting some kid’s rotting teeth—”   
Kyle held his hand out to stop her. “That’s enough, Anna. Nova’s on our side.” He turned to her. “Right?”   
“Of course I am,” Nova snapped.   
“Good,” he nodded. “Then you’ll understand why we want to rid the world of that lump of ice now before he can do more damage in the name of ‘fun’.” Kyle and Anna drew their swords from their scabbards.   
“Wait!” Nova had to think quickly. Stall them. “What…what did the Nightsand do to him?”   
“Oh, he’s not dead,” Anna grinned. “Not yet. The Nightmare King has some new tricks up his sleeve. The sand just knocked him out for a while. Kind of like putting him to sleep, but more violently.”   
“Violence,” Nova swallowed. “Always our answer. Right, okay. Um…”   
Anna, who had grown increasingly impatient, shoved Nova aside and advanced on Jack, Kyle following. Nova didn’t know what to do. These were her friends here, the people she had spent the last few years with, training, messing around, hunting. She trusted them completely.   
She had trusted them completely. Now, looking at Jack’s unconscious face, she was torn. He, along with the other Guardians, was the cause of all their troubles, but none of them were bad people. She couldn’t just stand by and watch him being killed. She bit her lip, and before she could change her mind, tackled Kyle.   
With a yell, Kyle crashed to the ground, dragging Nova along with him. He tried to grab her, but she rolled off of him and threw herself to the side as Anna’s sword lashed towards her.   
“Nova! What do you think you’re doing?” Kyle shouted, lunging for her. She ducked as he struck a blow at her face and swept his legs out from underneath him. Anna slashed at her, but Nova sidestepped, caught her wrist and twisted until the blade clattered to the ground. Anna kicked her in the stomach, but Nova managed to grip her leg and flip her onto the ground. Then she scooped up the other girl’s sword.   
Kyle had gotten to his feet and was standing before Jack, the blade ready in his hands, but suddenly Nova was there, blocking him, the tip of her sword inches from his chest.   
“You don’t have orders from Pitch to do this,” she growled. “So leave. Now.”   
Kyle narrowed his eyes at her. “You’re playing a deadly game. Pick the wrong side, and you’re going to get hurt. Remember, when you’re sacrificing everything for them, that you’re not one of them. You never will be. And when you realize that you’re one of us, then you can come back home. Until then, have fun living in fantasy bubble of hope and wonder.”   
And with a final seething glare, they were gone.   
Hands shaking, Nova dropped the sword over the side of the balcony railing. Then she knelt next to Jack and waited.   
He woke up twenty minutes later, and when he realized he was on the ground, he sat up suddenly, eyes wide with alarm. “Whoa, what happened?”   
Nova smiled. “Oh, you slipped from the railing and hit your head. Everything’s fine.” Jack rubbed his head and shrugged, not even suspecting that she might have been lying. They returned to their stargazing, but all the while Nova was thinking, _What have I done? What have I done?_

__It was North’s idea that Nova stay until New Year’s Day. By then the Nightmares should forget about her. That also gave her only about a week more to come up with a plan of attack. So she agreed and tried to focus on the task at hand.  
The days until the New Year passed by in a blur. And Nova spent the time inadvertently getting to know Jack and the others. All the pieces that made up the Guardians began falling into place. Nova could see who they were for the first time besides just supernatural beings.   
Jack, for all his winter spirit tendencies, actually liked the color green the best. It reminded him of his best memories with his sister, and they always took place in the spring. Nova also learned that he had a sister and that he had an obsession with dental hygiene. Perhaps it was to impress Tooth?  
“No one can resist a sparkly smile,” he told Nova, to which she punched his arm lightly.   
North played classical music as a backdrop to his tinkering in the workshop so continuously that Nova was beginning to hum Flight of the Bumblebee and Mozart’s Sonata no. 9 in her sleep. And she found herself developing a sort of curious fascination for his beard.   
Tooth was less overwhelmingly chipper and more sweet than Nova had previously thought, and she admired the way the fairy queen cared so freely and totally for her fairies.   
Sandy was the Guardian Nova had liked from the beginning, but she had never realized how artistic the dreams he created with his dreamsand were. Sometimes he would even visit her at night and show her how to shape the golden sand into animals.   
Bunny was the funniest of them all. Beneath his too-cool exterior, he was really just a big sweetheart with a soft side.   
They were human, though none of them were actually human. She wasn’t really human either. But they, they were the embodiment of childhood, of everything humanity should be. Nova began to question whether she was doing the right thing by gaining their trust for Pitch. _ _

__After a long day of snowball fights and flying and hot chocolate, Nova finally collapsed onto her bed back at the Pole. Tomorrow was New Year’s Eve, and apparently the Guardians had big plans. But all Nova wanted at the moment was sleep.  
…Which wasn’t going to happen because apparently though her body was exhausted, her mind was restless.   
Stifling a groan, Nova pushed herself out of bed and made her way to the balcony.   
And there he stood, with his yellow eyes and familiar black robes.   
“Pitch?” she breathed.   
“Hello, Nova.” He smiled at her warmly, and with a laugh, she threw herself at him.   
“How did you get here?” She still couldn’t believe it was him.   
“Oh, I’ve gotten past their defenses before.” He held her at arm’s length. “But I came to see you, my girl, since you’ve not contacted me for a few days. Is everything alright?”  
Nova nodded. “Yes. I think they really like me at this point.”   
Pitch ruffled her hair. “Fantastic. And do you have a plan?”   
She dropped her gaze and was silent for a long while. Then, “I don’t know if this is such a good idea anymore.”   
Pitch stared at her. “I beg your pardon?”   
She twisted the hem of her sweater. “It’s just… I don’t know – it doesn’t feel like I’m avenging our kind anymore. It feels more like betrayal.”   
“And who would you be betraying?” he spoke in a dangerously soft voice.   
“The kids… the Guardians – er, the Guardians and the kids.”   
“I see,” he finally said. Then he reached out and touched her head. No, not her head. The circlet. “Wasn’t this silver?”   
She laughed nervously. “Um, yeah, But I lost that one, so Jack made me a new one.”   
He raised a brow. “Oh, you’re on first-name basis with them, are you?” Pitch sighed. “I suppose this was bound to happen. Spend too much time around the enemy, and the lines start to get blurry. You forget who the enemy really is.”   
“No, I haven’t forgotten who they are—”   
“But do you remember who you are?”   
Nova could feel herself trembling. Since when did she tremble so much? “No,” she whispered. “I don’t remember. Help me.”   
Pitch smiled. “We are fear and darkness. We are of shadow and night. Allow me to remind you, Nova Stargazer.”   
He touched her forehead, and as the world melted away, her nightmare began. _ _

__When she opened her eyes, Nova stood alone in a forest. The trees are around her were dark and menacing. A cold wind ran its tentacles across her body, whipping her hair around and biting her cheeks. She was alone. Except for him.  
He stood a few feet away with that familiar smirk on his face. He watched her approach with a bored expression.   
“Jack,” Nova said. “I need to tell you something.”   
“And what,” he drawled, “is that?”   
This was it. She was going to say it. “Jack, I love you.”   
As soon as the words left her lips, the wind howled and dove for her, ripping her hair and tearing her skin and burning her eyes. When she glanced at the frozen lake beside her, she saw her reflection. She was a Nightmare.   
Jack stared at her, repulsed. “You’re a monster.”   
“No,” she cried. “No, Jack, I’m the same as you. Please…” she reached for him and he coiled back.   
“Get away from me.”   
Get away from me. The wind threw his words back at her over and over, and suddenly, standing in Jack’s place was Pitch.   
“Nova, my girl.” He held out his arms, and she came to him, black tears falling from her eyes.   
“Jack…” she sobbed. “He…”   
“Doesn’t understand,” Pitch said, stroking her hair. “It’s who he is. But he will come round to our point of view in time.” _ _

__Nova opened her eyes.  
“So that’s my greatest fear?” She curled her lip. “Love? How pathetic.”   
Pitch laughed and touched her cheek. “It’s good to have you back.”  
Nova could feel it, all the emotions and insecurities of being human fading to the back of her mind. The anger coursing through her veins. She was the Nightmare Princess. This is who she was. “It’s good to be back.”_ _


	10. Happy New Year

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Guardians are celebrating the New Year when everything goes horribly wrong.

The sun rose in the sky, blotting out the moon. It was New Year’s Eve.   
Nova and the Guardians lounged in the Globe Room, discussing their New Year’s Eve plans. Apparently every year they had a party, hosted by one of the Guardians (they took turns). This year it was North’s turn, and he was describing the festivities animatedly.   
“It will be legendary,” North announced. “Food, music, fireworks—”   
“I’ll come for the carrots,” Bunny muttered.   
Nova, who had been sipping coffee and feeling twitchy as a result, looked up. “Fireworks?”   
“Yes,” North grinned. “All colors and shapes, whatever you—”   
“Can I set them up?”   
The Guardians looked at her in surprise. “It’s just something I used to do when I was younger,” she explained, slightly abashed. “And, you know, you guys have done so much for me. It’s the least I could do in return.”   
North smiled at her warmly. “That would be great, Nova. Thank you.”   
She nodded and proceeded to spend the afternoon setting up. 

* * *  
The party was being held in one of the giant rooms that North usually stored his tools in. They had been cleared away for the occasion, and as Jack entered the room, he saw that the old man really had gone all out.   
The lights were dimmed and a disco ball threw colors around the room. Long tables had been set up, piled high with food of all kinds. A strangely catchy blend of holiday and pop music was pulsing from the speakers, and the elves and yetis were already dancing, an explosion of limbs and jingling hats. It was a party, all right.   
Bunny was at the tables eating. Sandy was trying to talk to a confused looking elf, and Tooth and North were dancing.   
Nova stood in the corner as if hiding. Jack hid a smile and approached her. “How’s the party so far?”  
She shifted her weight and smiled awkwardly. “I’m not much of a party person, actually.”   
He scoffed. “Everyone’s a party person. You’ve just got to have some fun. Why don’t you come dance?”   
Nova looked at him as if he’d just asked her to eat a shoe. “Um, I’m no good at dancing. Really. I might kill you by accident. Or trip you. Or kill you by tripping you.”  
He rolled his eyes and grabbed her arm. “C’mon, you.” And he dragged her onto the dance floor. 

Nova wasn’t kidding when she said she was no good at dancing.   
"They don't call me Twinkle Toes for nothing," she said upon stepping on Jack's foot for the third time. Her face was scrunched up in concentration and her body was tense.   
"Try loosening up," he suggested. "Here, just do what I do." He showed her a few simple moves, and she hesitantly copied them. Finding those easy, she tried a few more and laughed when she didn't fall or accidentally smack someone.   
"Look, Jack," Nova spun, then stumbled. He caught her and steadied her.   
"You really put the twinkle in Twinkle Toes," Jack smirked.  
"Was that a compliment, Snowflake?" She looked like she was trying not to smile. "Because if it was, you're terrible at complimenting."   
Jack took her hand, and they danced together. "Think you can do better than me?" he challenged.  
Nova grinned. "Let's see. Um…I really like your white hair. It makes you look like an attractive old man."   
He raised a brow slyly. "Your hair is so pretty that I'm fairly sure it's a wig."   
"Your cheekbones are so perfect that they're probably made of plastic," she fired back.   
Jack laughed. "Your smile is so great that I wished you'd show it more often." He quickly shut his mouth and cursed himself for saying something so dumb-sounding.  
Nova's eyes widened and she dropped her gaze. _Awesome, now I've freaked her out _, he thought to himself. But then she suddenly threw her arms around him, and he staggered, surprised. Then he returned the hug, a warm feeling spreading in his chest.__

__* * *  
The party usually went on till midnight, but Jack wanted to show Nova something.   
“Trust me,” he said as they stepped onto the roof. “You’ll love it.”   
“Okay.” She gripped the staff as they took off into the sky. Nova had been feeling a weird mix of nerves throughout the day. But then, today was the day.   
She gazed at Jack’s face and thought to herself, It will all be over by midnight. She could go home. Everything would return to normal, and she would make her family proud. That thought helped to settle the sick feeling in her stomach.   
Nova recognized the place as they arrived and touched down on the top of a building. It was Times Square. The crowd was unbelievable. Lights flashed, celebrities were playing music, everyone was dancing.   
“Wow,” Nova said, and Jack nodded.   
“Amazing, huh?”   
She glanced at him. “Yeah. Amazing.”  
Midnight was approaching fast. Someone announced that the ball was about to drop in a few seconds, and the people quieted down in hushed excitement.   
Jack took her hand. “C’mon,” he smiled at her, and the trust in his eyes was painful. “Let’s get a better view.”   
She nodded, and for some reason, one of the Christmas songs the townspeople of Burgess had been singing around the tree started playing in her head.   
Nova and Jack flew over the city, admiring the scene and waiting for the ball to drop.  
"This is my favorite time of year," Jack admitted to her. "Enough snow to start the World War III of snowball fights. Plus... is it cheesy that I like the idea of having a chance to start over?"   
Nova forced a smile."Of course not."   
Jack put his arm around her as they perched lightly on the wind a few feet away from the ball. Nova's eyes swept over all the people, laughing, counting down. How many of their lives had been touched by the Guardians at one point or another? How many would be lost when they were gone? She buried her face in Jack's shoulder. _I’m doing this for my family. I’m doing the right thing _, she repeated to herself.  
The ball dropped.   
* * *  
As the clock struck midnight, the Guardians held up their drinks and let out a cheer for the New Year. Music blared, everyone was singing, and the fireworks Nova had set up for them went off with a bang. They all looked up, expecting a colorful display of celebration. It was anything but.   
In the place of lights, there was a shower of fine, glittering sand, black as night. For a moment, they were confused. What happened to the fireworks? Had Nova made a mistake? North caught a handful in his fist, and his eyes widened. It was Nightsand.   
The old man yelled for the others to evacuate, but before the words left his mouth, a heavy darkness fell over him, like a blanket of sleep. No, not sleep. More like a nightmare. ___ _

____* * *_ _ _ _

____Jack was having the best night until everything went wrong.  
The moon had been shining brightly in the sky, but then suddenly it disappeared behind a curtain of clouds as if withdrawing from the world. By his side, Nova watched the crowds, oblivious to the sudden change, but Jack stared at the moon apprehensively. Something was off, he could feel it. He stared harder at the sky, willing the moon to tell him.   
Nova turned to him then. “There’s something I need to tell you.” She sounded nervous. “Jack…I—”  
At that moment, Baby Tooth came zooming towards him and started squeaking rapid fire, the panic clear in her eyes.   
“Hold that thought, Nova,” he said. “I think we need to go home. Something’s not right.”   
She chuckled. “What, are your Guardians senses tingling? It’s the New Year—”  
He turned to her and touched her shoulder. “I know. I’m sorry to cut everything short, but I think my friends need me, and I can’t just leave you here.”   
Nova searched his eyes. “Alright,” she finally said. Jack tucked a lock of her hair behind her ear. She trusted him. He had to keep her safe.   
He took her hand, and they flew. _ _ _ _

____Dark clouds had gathered over the workshop when they returned, and Jack’s apprehension morphed into anxiety. He, Baby Tooth, and Nova touched down and rushed inside.  
All the lights had been blown out as if they had exploded, but even in the dim light Jack could sense eyes watching them. He pulled Nova to his side and kept his staff in front of him, the glow illuminating the place.  
They entered the party room where the disco ball still turned, to find the collapsed forms of elves and yetis. But none of the Guardians.   
“North?” Jack called, warily stepping over an elf. “Tooth? San—”   
“I’m afraid they’re not here at the moment,” a voice said from the shadows. And then he emerged, looking as terrible as ever. “Perhaps you should try again later.”   
“Pitch,” said Jack, his fingers flexing along the staff. “Nova, get behind me.” But when he looked, she was gone. “Nova?”   
And there she was, but not by his side. She was by Pitch Black’s. And she wasn’t his Nova. As he watched, her hair became tendrils of smoke, her eyes turned reddish yellow, and her skin turned grey. She was a Nightmare.   
She stared at him for a long moment, then turned away. “I’m sorry, Jack.”   
Pitch was advancing, but Jack couldn’t tear his eyes way from her. “Nova?” he whispered.   
And then everything went black. _ _ _ _

____When Jack opened his eyes, he was in a dark chamber. It looked like some sort of throne room. Heavy shackles chained him to a pillar, and spread out across the marble floor were hordes upon hordes of Nightmares. Nova was nowhere to be seen.  
Pitch Black lounged across the throne, but upon seeing Jack wake up, he got up and sauntered over to the boy.   
“Did you sleep well, Jack?” he stroked one of his demons. “Sorry if your dreams were a little rough. I’m not as talented as our friend, the Sandman. Speaking of whom,” he gestured dramatically to the side wall. “Do you like my little setup?”   
The other four Guardians were chained to the wall, their feet dangling five feet from the floor. They looked only half-conscious.   
“Why are we chained like this?” Jack demanded. “What, are you keeping us as prisoners?”   
“Prisoners,” the Nightmare King mused. “At the moment, yes, you are prisoners here. But you will not be for long.”   
“What does that mean?” Jack snapped.   
“I’m glad you asked.” Pitch began pacing. “You see, I have come to realize that fighting you will never leave me victorious. The children will never choose the Nightmares over the Guardians. But what if there are no Guardians?”   
“You’re going to kill us?”  
“No,” Pitch said. “I’m going change the Guardians into Nightmares.”_ _ _ _


	11. Dawn of a New Era

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jack makes his last stand against the Nightmare King.

Nova perched on the rafters of the throne room, hidden from everyone below.   
“Can’t you see it, Jack?” Pitch grinned.   
That was the worst part. Nova could see it clearly – Jack with smoking hair and fiery eyes, his pale skin fading to darkness. A dark Jack. Her dark Jack.   
“No more of this ‘Guardian’ nonsense,” Pitch declared. “You will be one of us. And then the children will have to believe.”  
Nova watched the other Guardians chained to the wall. Shadows began oozing from the ground and wrapped around them as if to consume them. The Guardians were transforming before her eyes.   
North’s hair had become something ashy, and the jolly color had been sucked out of his cheeks in favor of a grey pallor. Tooth’s wings looked less like sunlight glinting through diamonds and more like the reflection of the moon on an oil spill. Sandy’s golden sand was crumbling to reveal Nightsand, and Bunny’s fur was turning black.   
Jack watched in horror and fought against the chains restraining him. Ice covered the shackles, and in a fluid motion, he yanked his wrists free, breaking the metal. But then two Nightmares were at his sides, holding him back.   
Finally Jack gave up. “Pitch,” he growled. “Let them go. Your fight is with me, not them.”   
The Nightmare King laughed delightedly. “As self-obsessed as always, I see. But no, Jack. You all have kept me and my beasts trapped here. So you all shall face the consequences. Though it is true – I loathe you most of all. Consider it an honor.”   
“I’ll kill you if you hurt them,” Jack snarled.   
Pitch raised a brow. “You think so? Fine.” His smile glittered. “Let’s see if the boy can live up to his bold words.” He turned towards the Nightmare holding Jack’s staff. “Return that rotting tree branch to Frost.”   
The beast looked at him dubiously.   
“Relax, my friends,” Pitch said. “You think he is a match for us, puny and weak as he is? Come, let’s show the Guardians the true might of the Nightmares!”   
The Nightmares cheered. Jack’s staff was returned to him, and the two by his side released him.   
“Jack,” North called hoarsely from the side. “Don’t.”  
“Don’t worry,” Jack managed a smile. “I’ll get us out of this.” And then he attacked. 

Nova watched the fight grimly. It was brutal. Wave after wave of Nightmares crashed against Jack, assaulting him from all sides. Many fell as cold and ice froze them, but it was still not enough. Jack was losing.   
He staggered as a beast rammed into him, right into the path of Pitch. Rage flickered in his blue eyes, and he swung the staff in a death arc.   
But then Nova was there, deflecting his blow with a sword she had snatched from one of her comrades, and shielded Pitch from him. Jack blinked. Then his eyes narrowed.   
“You,” he spat, advancing on her. She backed away warily. “You lied to us. You lied to me.”   
“Your observational skills never cease to amaze me, my friend.”   
“I am not your friend,” Jack roared and charged at her. Nova barely fended off his attacks. “I…trusted…you!” With each word, he slashed his staff at her, sending blasts of ice. She managed to dodge most of them, but some shards nicked her face and chest.   
Nova gritted her teeth. “And would you have, if you knew who I really was?” She thrust her sword, but he leaped out of her reach. “No! Because I’m just some evil monster.”   
Jack paused for a moment and said, his voice a razor’s edge, “You are a monster.”   
Nova recoiled as if she had been slapped.   
But Jack wasn’t finished. “You’re a monster because you betrayed us. The Guardians and the kids. Don’t you get it?” He looked almost sad for her. Pity. “Just because you’re dark, it doesn’t make you bad. You choose to terrorize kids and turn their dreams rotten. That’s what makes you a monster.”   
Nova was speechless. And as she stared at him, the Nightmares who had been watching their fight suddenly surged towards them. Jack disappeared in the mass of beasts.   
Pitch walked over to her, and together they watched as her brethren pummeled the boy. To the side, the Guardians were almost completely changed.   
The Nightmare King placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her. Outside, the moon was fading as the sun approached. “Dawn will bring the start of a new era. Our era,” said Pitch Black. The relief in his voice was audible. He took her battered sword and handed her his, accurately named Ripper. Forged from the darkest essence of night, it had the power to literally rip the light from even a Guardian, leaving them dark. It could change anyone into a Nightmare. It seemed to pulse in her grip as if it were alive.   
“Will you do the honors, my princess?” His yellow eyes were warm. Familiar.   
“Of course, my king.” Pitch nodded and ordered the Nightmares to disperse. They drew away.   
Jack looked like he’d been trampled by a family of elephants. His clothes were torn, his hair was disarrayed, and he had at least a dozen injuries. But despite it all, he threw himself at Nova.  
Easily sidestepping his sloppy lunge, she caught his arm and flipped him onto his back. She pinned him to the ground with her foot and held the sword in both hands, the tip inches from his chest. Right where his heart would be. Just one quick movement. It won’t even hurt him. He could be mine.   
Jack’s body may have been bruised and exhausted, but his voice was steely. “Do it. Then you’ll get what you wanted, right?”   
Nova’s hands trembled. “I never wanted to be a monster.”   
“It doesn’t matter what you want. It’s what you do.” He stared her down. “I hate you, Nova.”   
You and me both, she thought.   
She brought the sword down. 

Something extraordinary happened as she was plunging the sword towards his chest. A glint of silver caught her eye, and when she looked, there it was. The bracelet she had made for him. He was still wearing it.   
He was still wearing it.   
A choked noise escaped her lips, and the world seemed to shift one hundred and eighty degrees. At the last second, Nova jerked her arm to the right and drove the sword into the marble ground. And then it began to glow.   
The hilt of the sword cracked like glass, and from between the cracks, light burst free in thick swirls. The blade itself melted into gold until the entire weapon seemed to be radiating light like a little sun, chasing away the dark and the gloom.   
The Nightmares shrieked, and as Nova helped Jack up, the entire place began to crumble. Large pieces of ceiling fell away, the pillars broke apart and crashed to the ground, and even the ground seemed to splinter.   
Over the chaos, she heard Pitch Black scream. “Nova! What have you done?”   
“I don’t want to be a monster anymore,” she said.   
Pitch crossed the room and looked down at her, his yellow eyes burning. “You would condemn us, then? Your family and your home? For them?” They both looked over and saw that the chains holding the Guardians were also giving way to the light. The chains burst, and the Guardians fell to their knees, gasping for air as the shadows retreated. But they were safe now.   
Nova met Pitch Black’s eyes steadily. “I haven’t condemned us. I’ve saved us.” She glanced at Jack and gave him a hesitant smile. “We are dark, but we make the light shine brighter. That’s what we are, Pitch. Not monsters that want to hurt kids. When did we forget who we really are?” The Nightmare King looked at her with an ancient sorrow.   
“I don’t know.” 

* * * 

The Guardians got to their feet and stared as the lair began to collapse. Soon it would only be a pile of rubble. Jack could only stare at Nova. She had…she had saved him. After everything that had happened.   
A huge chunk of rock ceiling nearly flattened him, but he sprang out of the way. They had to get out of here. Now.   
“Nova, c’mon!” Jack shouted, helping his friends to their feet. “We need to leave.”   
She turned to look at him. She didn’t even seem to notice the falling rocks or broken pillars. “I can’t leave, Jack. This is my home and my family.” Nova looked up at Pitch. “It’s all I am and all I ever will be.” Even the beasts had gathered around them and kneeled, with no sign of an attempt to escape. She spoke to Pitch, “You’ll come back. Darkness always finds its way back.”  
He looked as if the weight of a thousand lonely years was burdened on his shoulders. “But you won’t.”  
North’s hand was on his shoulder then. “Jack, we have to go now!” But Jack couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. This couldn’t be goodbye. Not now, after everything. “Nova, I…”   
She gave him the smallest smile, and it broke his heart. “I know. Me, too.”   
Then Sandy was there, pulling him away, out of the collapsing lair.   
His final glimpse of Nova, before the entire place disappeared in smoke and rubble, was of her gazing up at the moon through a hole in the ceiling. She looked peaceful.   
And then she was gone. 

* * *

And as the world came crashing down, as Pitch drew her against him protectively, it came to her, the memory from before. 

Nova, having returned home for the first time since running away, watched secretly from the window as her parents stood in the kitchen, clutching each other.   
“It’s all my fault,” her mother said. “I should have spent more time with her instead of going off on my own.”  
“Honey, no, it’s not just you,” her father replied. “We both should have been there for her. We were too caught up in our own problems.” Her parents wept, and Nova’s heart felt like shattering. But she could see it in front of her, the healing that was taking place between her parents. They would get through this together. And if they could, she could too. So she turned away with a bittersweet taste on her tongue and fled into the night towards her new life. 

Nova knew now that she had been wrong that day. Her parents had not gotten through losing a child. They might have found each other, though at what cost? But as she looked up at the moon through the collapsing lair, she knew she would find her parents again, and this time, she would fix things the right way. This time she would use love to patch up the broken pieces instead of fear.   
She held Pitch tightly as everything went dark.


	12. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Is this the end of Nova Stargazer?

The funeral was held at Tooth’s Palace.   
Jack, who had gone back to Alaska and frozen the rivers solid in his grief, had also found Nova’s old circlet there. They placed it on flower petals and surrounded it with candles. The Guardians joined hands, just as they had done for Sandy’s, and watched the candles melt away slowly. Even the little fairies joined the circle.   
Jack’s eyes stung. He could’ve… he should’ve… He clenched his teeth.   
_Jack, I… _  
What had she been about to say? Was it what he thought it was? Why hadn’t he listened to her? He was such an idiot. Random things Nova had said played through his head.   
"Whatever you say, Snowflake."   
"I like to stargaze."   
"Jack and I are angels sent from heaven".   
"I don’t want to be a monster."   
Jack broke away from the circle and flipped his hood up. He needed to be on his own for a while.   
“What, leaving so soon?” a familiar voice said, and he whirled around. There she stood at the entrance. “I can’t believe I missed my own funeral. You all better had cried over how fabulous I was.”   
“Nova,” Jack gasped. She looked like how she did before all the mess – wild black hair, green eyes. Human. “How are you…?”  
Nova grinned up at the moon through the slot in the ceiling. “Manny saved me. But I had to pay a price – I gave up being a Nightmare.”  
She came over to them. “I need to apologize to you all. I thought I was doing the right thing. I thought I was saving my family. But the thing is, you guys are my family, too.” She stared at the floor. “I’m so sorry I hurt you.”   
North ruffled her hair affectionately. “It’s alright, Nova. What is important is that you are safe. And now you can make me more cookies.”  
They all laughed. “Well, this calls for a celebration!” North declared, and he began ordering the yetis and elves to make preparations.   
Nova embraced Tooth and Sandy and even accepted a gruff hug from Bunny before finally making her way to Jack.   
She smiled shyly at him. “Hey, Snowflake.”   
“Twinkle Toes.”  
She shuffled her feet. “You know, you really had me worried there for a moment.”   
Jack raised a brow. “And why’s that?”  
“Well, back at the cave you told me that we weren’t friends—not that it matters to me, I was just wondering— I mean—but are we at least friends now, or—”   
“We aren’t friends.”   
A beat of silence. Nova dropped her eyes. “Oh.”   
“I was under the impression that we’re something more.”   
Nova looked up and beamed. “Well, in that case…”   
She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss.__

__* * *_ _

__Nova and Jack touched down on the pavement in front of the house.  
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” he asked.   
No. But Nova had to do this alone. “I’ll be fine,” she smiled at him reassuringly before walking up the path to the front door. Her heart was pounding. She knocked anyway. It was time to face the past.   
It was a few moments before the door opened. An elderly woman stood there, clutching a mug, and Nova’s heart skipped a beat. Despite the grey hair and wrinkles, the green eyes and smile were as familiar to her as her own.   
The woman looked at her before breathing in sharply. “Nova?”  
“Mom,” Nova’s voice broke. “It’s me.”   
“Oh my…” the old woman wrapped her arms around the girl and cried, and Nova clutched her frail frame. “Come in, honey, come in,” her mother said, pulling her inside. _ _

__They talked for a long time, about Nova’s life as a Nightmare and how she had come full circle.  
“I’ve missed you so much, honey,” her mom’s eyes glistened, but she was smiling.   
Nova returned the smile before taking her mother’s hands in hers. “I missed you, too, mom. And what about you and Dad?”  
“Your father passed away a few years ago,” her mom said sadly. “Yes, we stayed together after you left because we only had each other.”   
Nova wanted to go back in time and smack herself. “I’m so sorry, mom. I shouldn’t have left. I was just scared and—”  
“Nova, the past is the past,” her mother said fervently. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”   
They both stood up and embraced each other tightly. Nova buried her face in her mother’s hair the way she used to as a child.   
“So, you’ll move back in with me, right?” Nova’s mother sounded almost scared, as if as soon as she let go of Nova, her daughter would run away again.   
“Of course. I love you, mom.” It felt good to say it. It had been too long.   
“Love you, too, sweetheart.”   
Her mother walked her to the door, and they watched Jack playing with the kids.   
“Is that the boy you were talking about? Jackfruit, or something like that?” Her mom cast a sly glance at Nova.   
Nova grinned. “Yeah. He’s the boy.”   
“And you like him?”  
Nova chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”  
“Well,” her mom grinned. “Your face is red as a tomato.”  
“And you are embarrassing me.”   
Her mother laughed. “Go. He’s waiting for you.” Nova nodded. And with that, she scooped some snow into her hand from the porch, shaped it, and lugged it at Jack’s head.   
“Hey,” he grinned. “You sure that was a good idea?”   
“What, think you can do better, Snowflake?”   
“You’re on, Twinkle Toes.” And as a mountain of snow crashed down on her, as Jack helped her up only to have her tackle him, she realized it: this was who she wanted to be, and she had never been happier.   
Nova smiled at the moon, and as she watched, the moon seemed to smile back. _ _

__

__The End_ _


	13. Reunion - Alternate Ending

The funeral was held at Tooth’s Palace.  
Jack, who had gone back to Alaska and frozen the rivers solid in his grief, had also found Nova’s old circlet there. They placed it on flower petals and surrounded it with candles. The Guardians joined hands, just as they had done for Sandy’s, and watched the candles melt away slowly. Even the little fairies joined the circle.  
Jack’s eyes stung. He could’ve… he should’ve… He clenched his teeth  
 _Jack, I… _  
What had she been about to say? Was it what he thought it was? Why hadn’t he listened to her? He was such an idiot. Random things Nova had said played through his head.  
"Whatever you say, Snowflake."  
"I like to stargaze."  
"Jack and I are angels sent from heaven."  
"I don’t want to be a monster."  
Jack broke away from the circle and flipped his hood up. He needed to be on his own for a while.  
“What, leaving so soon?” a familiar voice said, and he whirled around. There she stood at the entrance. “I can’t believe I missed my own funeral. You all better had cried over how fabulous I was.”  
“Nova,” they all gasped and rushed to envelop her in a hug. Although hugging her was a bit different now, as her wings took up a lot of space.  
Nova had changed. She had the same face and body except that crowning her black hair was a circlet that glowed red. Strapped to her back were a golden quiver and bow, and large, feathery white wings extended from her shoulder blades. Her black cloak was now the color of roses.  
“Nova,” North said as they finally pulled away. “You are…?”  
At that moment, a moonbeam shone down from the opening in the roof and touched her.  
“Yeah,” she smiled. “I’m a Guardian.”  
“Well,” laughed Tooth. “Who are you?”  
“I’m the spirit of Valentine, the Guardian of love,” Nova smirked. “Looks like the moon has a wicked sense of irony. Any guesses on my name?”  
“Sugarlips? Lovemuffin, definitely.” Bunny grinned.  
Nova grinned back. “Close. It’s Cupid.” She smiled at the moon. “But Manny said you can also call me Nova Valentine.”  
“Well, this calls for a celebration!” North declared, and he began ordering around the yetis and elves to make preparations.  
Nova embraced Tooth and Sandy and even accepted a gruff hug from Bunny before finally making her way to Jack.  
She smiled shyly at him. “Hey, Snowflake.”  
“Twinkle Toes.”  
She shuffled her feet. “You know, you really had me worried there for a moment.”  
Jack raised a brow. “And why’s that?”  
“Well, back at the cave you told me that you hated me, not that it matters to me, but you know, are we at least friends now, or—”  
“We aren’t friends.”  
Nova dropped her eyes. “Oh.”  
“I was under the impression that we’re something more.”  
Nova looked up and beamed. “Well, in that case…”  
She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss that lived up to her new name.__

__* * *_ _

__Nova and Jack touched down on the pavement in front of the house.  
“You sure you don’t want me to come with you?” he asked.  
No. But Nova had to do this alone. “I’ll be fine,” she smiled at him reassuringly before walking up the path to the front door. Her heart was pounding. She knocked anyway. It was time to face the past.  
It was a few moments before the door opened. An elderly woman stood there, clutching a mug, and Nova’s heart skipped a beat. Despite the grey hair and wrinkles, the green eyes and smile were as familiar to her as her own.  
The woman looked at her before breathing in sharply. “Nova?”  
“Mom,” Nova’s voice broke. “It’s me.”  
“Oh my…” the old woman wrapped her arms around the girl and cried, and Nova clutched her frail frame. “Come in, honey, come in,” her mother said, pulling her inside.   
They talked for a long time, about Nova’s life as a Nightmare and how she had come to become a Guardian.  
“So you protect love in the children?” her mother smiled. “That’s wonderful.”  
Nova returned the smile before taking her mother’s hands in hers. “And what about you and Dad?”  
“Your father passed away a few years ago,” her mom said sadly. “Yes, we stayed together after you left because we only had each other.”  
Nova wanted to go back in time and smack herself. “I’m so sorry, mom. I shouldn’t have left. I was just scared and—”  
“Nova, the past is the past,” her mother said fervently. “You’re here now, and that’s all that matters.”  
They both stood up and embraced each other tightly. Nova buried her face in her mother’s hair the way she used to as a child.  
“I wish you could stay,” the old woman whispered.  
“I know,” said Nova. “But I have a job to do now. The kids need me. But I promise, this time I’ll come visit you very often.” Nova kissed her mother’s cheek. “I love you, mom.”  
“Love you, too, sweetheart.”  
Her mother walked her to the door, and they watched Jack playing with the kids.  
“Is that the boy you were talking about? Jackfruit, or something like that?” Her mom cast a sly glance at Nova.  
Nova grinned. “Yeah. He’s the boy.”  
“And you like him?”  
Nova chuckled. “Is it that obvious?”  
“Well,” her mom grinned. “You are Cupid.”  
“And you are embarrassing me.” Her mother laughed. “Anyway, I’ll see you soon, mom.”  
“See you, honey.” And with that, Nova scooped some snow into her hand from the porch, shaped it, and lugged it at Jack’s head.  
“Hey,” he grinned. “You sure that was a good idea?”  
“What, think you can do better, Snowflake?”  
“You’re on, Twinkle Toes.” And as a mountain of snow crashed down on her, as Jack helped her up only to have her tackle him, she realized it: this was who she wanted to be, and she had never been happier.  
Nova smiled at the moon, and as she watched, the moon seemed to smile back._ _

__The End_ _


End file.
